Republican Governor Commutes Sentence of Ex-Cop Imprisoned for Killing Black Man
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Republican Missouri Governor Mike Parson granted clemency to a White former Kansas City detective who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter after he shot and killed a Black man at his home in 2019.
Eric DeValkenaere arrived at the home of Cameron Lamb with his partner Troy Schwalm. While Lamb was backing into his Kansas City garage, DeValkenaere fatally shot him. He argued his partner was in danger, that Lamb’s truck had sped from a pursuit with another car, and that Lamb was armed.
The officers were at Lamb’s home for only nine seconds before he was killed, according to The Kansas City Star. The incident sparked outrage and generated national headlines.
Judge J. Dale Youngs ruled that DeValkenaere entered Lamb’s property with no probable cause. DeValkenaere was convicted in November 2021 and given a six-year prison sentence.
On Friday, Parson commuted the sentence as one of his final acts as governor, but did not comment specifically on his decision to commute DeValkenaere’s sentence. Parson’s office said:
Closing out the final pending clemency petitions of his administration, Governor Mike Parson today granted 16 pardons and approved nine commutations pursuant to Article IV, Section 7 of the Constitution of the State of Missouri. Official documents have been filed with the appropriate government agencies and have been sent to the individuals.
In addition to granting 16 pardons and nine commutations, Governor Parson denied 23 clemency petitions. The Governor’s Office now effectively holds zero pending clemency petitions. When Governor Parson was sworn into office, he inherited a clemency backlog of more than 3,500 and received hundreds more since. In total, he has taken action on nearly 4,000 clemency petitions. Governor Parson prioritized providing individuals an answer, whether approved or denied.
Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker told KMBC in Kansas City that Parson had made a “political” decision.
“A judge issued a sentence in the case that the judge thought was appropriate, and the governor made a different decision,” she said. “He has that political power, and he used it. So, I think, maybe those questions should be posed to the governor instead of me.”
She concluded, “We won’t be run by politics. We’re really run by a victim advocacy, and that’s what Kansas City should operate on.”
The Missouri Fraternal Order of Police said Parson had corrected a “grave injustice.” The group said in a statement:
Missouri has taken a powerful step in standing with law enforcement by correcting a grave injustice. Wrongly-convicted Kansas City Detective Eric DeValkenaere has finally had his sentence commuted by @GovParsonMO and will be home with his family for Christmas.
Eric spent over a year in prison for defending himself and his partner against a dangerous criminal — a decision no officer should ever face punishment for. This moment serves as a reminder that we must always stand with the brave men and women who put their lives on the line to keep our communities safe. Backing the blue means standing for justice.
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