A former Kansas City police detective who was convicted of fatally shooting Cameron Lamb was sentenced Friday to six years in prison.The judge sentenced Eric J. DeValkenaere to three years for involuntary manslaughter and six years for armed criminal action with the sentences to run concurrently.DeValkenaere will remain free on bond during the appeal process. Before the sentence was handed down, emotional pleas were made from family and friends of both Lamb and DeValkenaere.“Still to this day we are going through it,” Lamb’s sister, Vaness Gray, said to the court through tears. “It’s been over two years now but it’s still a struggle.”“I have witnessed how having taken a life has devastated my father to his core,” said Eric DeValkenaere’s son, Cade DeValkenaere. “I know he could not have lived with himself if he stood by and allowed detective Schwalm to be shot.”After the sentencing, Lamb’s family said the pain is still raw.“This has been just a hurtful tragedy for our family and the healing is just not there yet,” said Lamb’s mother, Laurie Bey. DeValkenaere’s defense said they will keep fighting to appeal his conviction.“His life has been turned upside down. He does not deserve what has happened to him for doing what he thought was necessary to protect his partner,” said defense attorney Sean McCauley.Lamb’s family said despite the appeal, they hope DeValkenaere will eventually serve time.“He’s going to jail,” said Lamb’s stepfather, Aqil Bey. “I don’t care how long it takes, that man’s going to jail.” In November, the former detective was found guilty in a bench trial of involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action in Lamb’s death. Lamb was parking a pickup truck in his backyard when he was shot on Dec. 3, 2019.The judge agreed with the state’s argument that DeValkenaere and his partner should not have pursued Lamb into his backyard and that the deadly shooting was not lawful self-defense.He found the officers were the aggressors in this incident because they did not have probable cause that a crime had occurred and entered private property without a warrant or consent. The judge said the officers escalated a situation that had previously de-escalated and that they had a duty to retreat.Prosecutors questioned DeValkenaere’s decisions on that day, asking why didn’t he deescalate the situation and why didn’t he intervene when he saw Lamb driving earlier.DeValkenaere testified that there wasn’t time. He was emotional on the stand when he said he needed to back up his partner who went ahead of him, and he said that when he saw a gun, he couldn’t let his partner get shot.
A former Kansas City police detective who was convicted of fatally shooting Cameron Lamb was sentenced Friday to six years in prison.
The judge sentenced Eric J. DeValkenaere to three years for involuntary manslaughter and six years for armed criminal action with the sentences to run concurrently.
DeValkenaere will remain free on bond during the appeal process.
Before the sentence was handed down, emotional pleas were made from family and friends of both Lamb and DeValkenaere.
“Still to this day we are going through it,” Lamb’s sister, Vaness Gray, said to the court through tears. “It’s been over two years now but it’s still a struggle.”
“I have witnessed how having taken a life has devastated my father to his core,” said Eric DeValkenaere’s son, Cade DeValkenaere. “I know he could not have lived with himself if he stood by and allowed detective Schwalm to be shot.”
After the sentencing, Lamb’s family said the pain is still raw.
“This has been just a hurtful tragedy for our family and the healing is just not there yet,” said Lamb’s mother, Laurie Bey.
DeValkenaere’s defense said they will keep fighting to appeal his conviction.
“His life has been turned upside down. He does not deserve what has happened to him for doing what he thought was necessary to protect his partner,” said defense attorney Sean McCauley.
Lamb’s family said despite the appeal, they hope DeValkenaere will eventually serve time.
“He’s going to jail,” said Lamb’s stepfather, Aqil Bey. “I don’t care how long it takes, that man’s going to jail.”
In November, the former detective was found guilty in a bench trial of involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action in Lamb’s death. Lamb was parking a pickup truck in his backyard when he was shot on Dec. 3, 2019.
The judge agreed with the state’s argument that DeValkenaere and his partner should not have pursued Lamb into his backyard and that the deadly shooting was not lawful self-defense.
He found the officers were the aggressors in this incident because they did not have probable cause that a crime had occurred and entered private property without a warrant or consent. The judge said the officers escalated a situation that had previously de-escalated and that they had a duty to retreat.
Prosecutors questioned DeValkenaere’s decisions on that day, asking why didn’t he deescalate the situation and why didn’t he intervene when he saw Lamb driving earlier.
DeValkenaere testified that there wasn’t time. He was emotional on the stand when he said he needed to back up his partner who went ahead of him, and he said that when he saw a gun, he couldn’t let his partner get shot.
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