As convicted felon, DeValkenaere may no longer possess firearm, serve as officer
READ MORE
KCPD officer found guilty in fatal shooting of Black man
Eric DeValkenaere, a Kansas City police detective, was found guilty of manslaughter on Nov. 19, 2021, in the December 2019 killing of Cameron Lamb, a Black man who was fatally shot in his own backyard. DeValkenaere was the first white Kansas City police officer in 80 years to face a criminal trial in the shooting death of a Black man.
Expand All
Eric DeValkenaere, the Kansas City police detective who fatally shot Cameron Lamb in December 2019, may not return to work as a police officer after he was found guilty Friday of second-degree manslaughter by a Jackson County judge.
The verdict followed a highly publicized trial where prosecutors accused DeValkenaere of recklessly entering Lamb’s property without a warrant and fatally shooting him within seconds of arrival. They also said the gun found at the scene was not in Lamb’s hand when the shooting took place.
At the time of the shooting, DeValkenaere was a detective assigned to the Investigative Bureau. He was back on the job seven months after he was indicted in the shooting. He was administratively assigned to the Executive Services Bureau, which handles police budgeting, facilities, purchasing and building operations matters.
State and federal laws bar convicted felons from possessing a firearm or ammunition, which would render DeValkeneare incapable of performing the daily duties of a sworn officer on the street.
Missouri law also sets standards for police officers to remain licensed. Licenses may be suspended or revoked in cases where an officer is accused of a crime. As of Nov. 12, DeValkenaere possessed a valid license commissioned by the Kansas City Police Department, a spokesman for the Missouri Department of Public Safety told The Star.
DeValkenaere is the first officer from Kansas City to be convicted of a crime in the killing of a Black man. Area activists have long sought for him to be punished, referencing Lamb’s death within a larger context of fraught relations between the department and the Black community.
The Star’s Glenn E. Rice contributed to this report.
This story was originally published November 19, 2021 at 2:22 PM.
