Eric DeValkenaere: Conviction, Commutation, and Civil Settlement

Eric DeValkenaere is a former Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department detective who was convicted in 2021 of second-degree involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action for fatally shooting 26-year-old Cameron Lamb on December 3, 2019. He was sentenced to six years in prison, but Missouri Governor Mike Parson commuted his sentence on December 20, 2024, and he was released that same afternoon after serving roughly 430 days. In April 2025, the Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners settled a federal civil rights lawsuit brought by Lamb’s family for $4.1 million.¹

The Shooting of Cameron Lamb

On the afternoon of December 3, 2019, a police helicopter tracked a red pickup involved in a traffic incident to a residence at 4154 College Avenue in Kansas City. DeValkenaere, a 20-year veteran assigned to the Violent Offender Squad, and his partner Detective Troy Schwalm responded in plainclothes and unmarked vehicles. Department policy prohibited the squad from using unmarked vehicles in pursuits.²

A woman was standing on the front porch when the detectives arrived. Neither stopped to speak with her or ask permission to enter. Schwalm went around back first. DeValkenaere followed, knocking over a barbecue grill and a car hood to get past a barrier blocking the rear of the home.³

Cameron Lamb, 26, was backing his pickup into the garage. DeValkenaere fired four shots through the windshield. Two struck Lamb, one in the leg and one in the chest, killing him.³

DeValkenaere said he fired because he saw Lamb pull a gun from his waistband with his left hand and point it at Schwalm. A firearm was found on the ground near Lamb’s left hand. But Schwalm testified that he could see Lamb’s left hand and never saw a gun or any reaching motion. Medical records showed Lamb was right-handed and had limited use of his left hand due to a 2015 injury. Prosecutors argued that police staged the scene to support the claim that Lamb was armed.³⁴

Lamb’s phone captured audio of the aftermath through an open voicemail line. DeValkenaere also told dispatch that “the lady in pink” on the porch had told him the situation involved guns. He later admitted in court that this statement was “inaccurate” and that the conversation had never happened.⁵

Lamb was a father of three. His mother, Laurie Bey, has spoken publicly about grieving him. Attorney S. Lee Merritt confirmed that Lamb was a gun owner but said it was never proven that Lamb brandished a weapon at police.⁶

The Trial and Conviction

On June 18, 2020, a Jackson County grand jury indicted DeValkenaere on first-degree involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action. He became the first Kansas City police officer ever convicted in the fatal shooting of a Black man.⁷

DeValkenaere waived his right to a jury. The bench trial before Judge J. Dale Youngs in Jackson County Circuit Court began November 8, 2021, and Judge Youngs examined the shooting scene in person on November 11. The verdict came November 19, 2021.²

Judge Youngs found that the detectives entered the curtilage of Lamb’s home without a warrant, without probable cause of any crime beyond minor traffic infractions, without consent, and without exigent circumstances. He concluded they were “initial aggressors” with a duty to retreat, and that DeValkenaere was not acting in lawful self-defense or defense of Schwalm. Because the detectives were not effecting an arrest, DeValkenaere was not lawfully using deadly force as a law enforcement officer either.²

Several pieces of evidence undercut the defense. Crime scene reports were amended days after the shooting to designate DeValkenaere as a victim and Lamb as a suspect. Both detectives testified that Lamb’s truck was running, but the keys were found in Lamb’s pocket. No bullets were found in Lamb’s pockets at the scene, though two were discovered during the autopsy.⁵

Judge Youngs ruled that DeValkenaere’s conduct was criminally negligent rather than reckless, convicting him of the lesser included offense of second-degree involuntary manslaughter along with armed criminal action.⁵

Sentence

DeValkenaere was sentenced on March 4, 2022. Judge Youngs imposed three years for involuntary manslaughter and six years for armed criminal action, to run concurrently, for a total of six years in prison.²⁸

Judge Youngs called it a “tragic case with troubling facts,” reiterated that the officers had no warrant and no consent to be on the property, and said the detectives “escalated a situation that had been calmed.”⁸

The Appeal

DeValkenaere raised eight points on appeal before the Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District, challenging both the sufficiency of the evidence and the trial court’s conclusions about his unlawful entry and lack of justification. The appellate court rejected every argument, finding sufficient evidence that his shots caused Lamb’s death, that his conduct conflicted with his training and multiple KCPD policies, and that the trial court properly concluded he was an initial aggressor not entitled to use deadly force. It affirmed both convictions on October 17, 2023.²⁹

The appellate court denied his motion for rehearing and his request to transfer the case to the Missouri Supreme Court. On March 5, 2024, the Missouri Supreme Court itself denied his transfer application, exhausting his direct appeals.¹⁰

The Commutation by Governor Parson

DeValkenaere’s wife, Sarah DeValkenaere, ran a public campaign urging Missourians to contact the governor’s office. The Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund helped finance his defense and publicly advocated for his release, with its president, Jason Johnson, maintaining that DeValkenaere was “completely innocent.”⁴ Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker opposed clemency, warning Governor Parson in a June 2023 letter that a pardon would “upend the criminal justice system.”¹¹

On December 20, 2024, weeks before leaving office, Parson commuted DeValkenaere’s sentence to parole. The announcement offered no specific public explanation and listed him among 16 pardons and eight other commutations. DeValkenaere was released from prison that afternoon at 1:15 p.m., having served roughly 430 days.⁷

The commutation shortened his sentence but did not erase his conviction. Unlike a pardon, it does not confer forgiveness or restore rights such as gun ownership. As a condition of parole, he is prohibited from possessing firearms and must obtain permission for any out-of-state travel.⁷¹²

Reactions

The Missouri Fraternal Order of Police called the commutation “a powerful step in standing with law enforcement by correcting a grave injustice.”⁷ Governor-elect Mike Kehoe had said before the commutation that if he took office, “Eric DeValkenaere will be home with his family.”¹³

Prosecutor Peters Baker called the decision “cowardice” and said it sent the message that “some people receive special justice.” Gwen Grant, president of the Urban League of Greater Kansas City, described it as a “flagrant endorsement of systemic racism.” House Minority Leader Ashley Aune said: “While Eric DeValkenaere gets to spend Christmas with his family, the three children of Cameron Lamb will never see their father again.”⁴¹⁴

Laurie Bey, Lamb’s mother, said at a January 2025 gathering at St. James Church that Parson and Kehoe had “demonstrated a blatant disregard for a judicial system by commuting the sentence for Eric DeValkenaere, who was found guilty by a judge.”¹⁵

The $4.1 Million Civil Settlement

Lamb’s family filed a federal civil rights lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri against the Board of Police Commissioners and DeValkenaere, alleging warrantless entry, excessive use of deadly force, and a failure to train officers on use of force and de-escalation. The complaint alleged that KCPD had a “well-documented, continuing, widespread and persistent pattern” of excessive force. The family initially sought more than $10 million.¹⁶

In September 2024, U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips ruled that DeValkenaere violated Lamb’s Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable search and seizure by entering the property without a warrant, and that he was not entitled to qualified immunity. She declined to grant summary judgment on the excessive force claim, citing a “factual dispute” about whether Lamb pointed a gun at Schwalm.¹⁷

The case never went to trial. On April 22, 2025, Judge Phillips approved a $4.1 million settlement between the Board of Police Commissioners and the family. The agreement included no admission of liability; the defendants stated the settlement was made “in recognition of the cost and unpredictability of litigation.”¹⁸¹⁹

License and Life After Release

DeValkenaere retained his Missouri peace officer license for years after his conviction. Missouri has no law requiring automatic revocation upon a felony conviction; the state’s licensing process requires a formal complaint, investigation, and administrative hearing. His license was listed as “inactive” for failure to meet continuing education requirements and was not surrendered until 2025. A Missouri Department of Public Safety list dated June 30, 2025, reflects the surrender.²⁰²¹

He remains a convicted felon, which bars him from holding state or local office in Missouri. In April 2026, he attended a Clay County Republican fundraiser in North Kansas City wearing a sticker supporting congressional candidate Nathan Willett, who said he has “Eric’s back, 110%.” Lauren Bonds of the National Police Accountability Project criticized the alignment, saying it suggested law enforcement should be “able to get away with murder.”²²

1
KCUR. Family of Cameron Lamb Settles Lawsuit
2
Findlaw. State v. Devalkenaere, WD 85232
3
Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office. Grand Jury Indicts KCPD Detective
4
CNN. Missouri Governor Commutes Sentence of Former KC Officer
5
KSHB. Detailed Timeline: Shooting of Cameron Lamb
6
Fox4KC. Family Still Seeking Answers in Death of 26-Year-Old Man
7
KCUR. Missouri Governor Commutes Ex-Cop Eric DeValkenaere’s Sentence
8
Spectrum Local News. Missouri Governor Commutes Sentence of Officer Convicted of Fatally Shooting Black Man
9
Fox4KC. Missouri Court Rejects Ex-KCPD Detective DeValkenaere’s Appeal
10
KSHB. Missouri Supreme Court Denies Convicted Ex-KCPD Officer DeValkenaere’s Transfer Application
11
KCUR. Jackson County Prosecutor Says Pardoning Eric DeValkenaere Would Hurt Trust in the Rule of Law
12
Police1. Missouri Governor Commutes Prison Sentence for Officer Convicted in Fatal Shooting
13
KCTV5. Former Kansas City Police Detective Eric DeValkenaere Released From Prison
14
Missouri Independent. Missouri Governor Commutes Sentence of Former KC Cop Convicted of Killing a Black Man
15
KSHB. Cameron Lamb’s Family Joins Social Justice Organizations to Denounce Clemency
16
Kansas City Star. Federal Civil Rights Lawsuit Filed by Lamb Family
17
Seattle Times. White Officer Who Fatally Shot Black Man Shouldn’t Have Been in His Backyard, Judge Rules
18
News Tribune. KC Police to Pay $4.1M in Lamb Settlement
19
Fox4KC. Lamb Family Settles With KC Police Board for $4.1M
20
Kansas City Star. DeValkenaere Peace Officer License
21
KCUR. Missouri Police Misconduct License
22
Kansas City Star. DeValkenaere Post-Release Political Activity