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: