Detective indicted in Cameron Lamb killing, but KC police stood in the way of justice
A Jackson County grand jury took an important step toward bringing a Kansas City police detective to justice with Thursday’s indictment in the fatal shooting of Cameron Lamb, who was killed by police in his own backyard.
For the second time in as many months, Kansas City police officers were charged with a crime. This time, detective Eric J. DeValkenaere faces charges of first-degree involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action.
Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker detailed the indictment in a press conference that offered hope for holding law enforcement accountable while also laying bare the lengths to which police will go to protect their own. The announcement was both an indictment of the detective and an indictment of the Kansas City Police Department, which stood in the way of pursuing justice in the case and hindered the prosecutor’s ability to do her job.
DeValkenaere, who has been suspended, was indicted in the December killing of the 26-year-old Lamb. A brief pursuit that included a police helicopter and squad cars on the ground ended in Lamb’s yard, where the father of three was fatally shot after he allegedly pointed a gun at DeValkenaere from the front seat of his truck.
DeValkenaere wore plainclothes the day of the incident and acted recklessly in Lamb’s death, prosecutors alleged in court documents.
Lamb’s body was inside the truck, and his left arm was hanging out of the open driver’s side window, court records indicate. Medical records show that Lamb was right-handed, and he did not have full use of his left hand as a result of an injury sustained years prior to the shooting.
Legal proceedings will determine the guilt or innocence of DeValkenaere, who was described by his attorneys as “a respected and highly decorated officer with twenty years of experience with KCPD.”
On Thursday, Baker minced no words in describing the barriers police placed in front of prosecutors in this case. The police department’s refusal to turn over a probable cause statement delayed the pursuit of justice for months.
Baker said she should have been standing at the podium, announcing charges in February, but Police Chief Rick Smith rejected a routine request for a criminal complaint. Legal experts told The Star that Smith’s actions thwarted the prosecutor’s efforts and that withholding probable cause statements created the appearance of a cover-up.
Ultimately, Baker was forced to take the case before a grand jury.
“We were stymied,” she said Thursday.
Prosecutor received threats
Baker said that she had received death threats aimed at deterring her from pursuing charges in this case. Unacceptable attempts to intimidate the prosecutor are more evidence of a broken system that favors police, even when officers break the law. To her credit, Baker was unmoved by warnings to watch her back, but she should never be put in that position.
Baker noted that police officers have strong protections under Missouri law. But officers are not entitled to a special process when they are the subject of a criminal investigation.
“Our system depends on this,” she said. “Neutrality is especially important when you are investigating someone who works within your own ranks.”
This week, Kansas City Police announced that all officer-involved shootings would be investigated by the Missouri State Highway Patrol for the foreseeable future.
The plan is sorely lacking, though. The police department needs a written policy formalizing specific procedures for an outside agency to investigate police shootings.
In the end, the right thing happened in the Cameron Lamb case, but it’s clear the police department cannot be trusted to investigate its own.
It’s exceedingly rare for officers to be charged with a crime in Kansas City, so Thursday’s announcement provides a glimmer of hope that this is in fact a moment of long overdue progress.
The Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners recently implemented several new oversight measures for the department, including ending its policy of not sending probable cause statements in officer-involved shootings.
That must be non-negotiable. There should never be another case like this one where the prosecutor seeks a probable cause statement, and the police department refuses to turn it over.
As Baker said, the grand jury is not the answer in many of these cases, and she must have the ability to do her job.
In May, officers Matthew Brummett and Charles Prichard were charged with fourth-degree assault in connection with the arrest of an African American transgender woman.
All of these indictments come at a fraught moment when so many are calling for significant reforms in law enforcement.
They are a small step in the right direction, but there is so much more to do.