KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Rumors were circulating for months about the possible pardon or commutation of ex-KCPD Ofc. Eric DeValkenaere's six-year prison sentence, and on Friday those rumors proved to be true.
DeValkenaere was convicted of shooting and killing Cameron Lamb on Dec. 3, 2019, and surrendered to prison in September 2023.
"With everything and all the rumors that's out now, he'll get to come out right around the holidays, and you know, spend time with his family and break bread with him, so it's hard because we can not do the same thing," said Laurie Bey, Lamb's mother, to KSHB 41 News in November.
On Friday, KSHB 41 News reported DeValkenaere was released from an out-of-state prison after Missouri Gov. Mike Parson announced he commuted the ex-KCPD officer's sentence. He served a little over a year in prison.
A Jackson County Circuit Court judge found DeValkenaere guilty of second-degree manslaughter and armed criminal action in November 2021. In September 2023, the Missouri Court of Appeals upheld the conviction, and about five months later, the Missouri Supreme Court declined to hear the case.
President and CEO of AdHoc Group Against Crime, Damon Daniel, first learned of the clemency through KSHB 41's reporting.
"I was really kind of caught, taken back a bit given the fact that here we are, the holiday season," Daniel said.
It wasn't the commutation that surprised Daniel, but rather the timing.
"I spoke with Cameron Lamb's mom this morning, and I learned that today actually marks the five-year anniversary of when he was laid to rest," Daniel said Saturday, Dec. 21.
After five years of uncertainty, the Lamb family is now left with even more questions.
"They have not received any kind of explanation from the governor's office," Daniel said.
Daniel says Parson needs to justify his decision to the Kansas City community.
Senior Pastor at St. James Church KC Emanuel Cleaver III says the decision is a blow to the community.
"The sheer injustice of it all is what caused me to say something, speak out," he said.
Cleaver says the decision will "drive a larger gap between law enforcement and the Black community."
"I think it says that police can do whatever they want," he said.
Daniel and Cleaver say community organizations are working to move the community forward following the clemency.
"What I've seen with Cameron Lamb's family is that they are very strong and they lean on their faith and that's what's getting them through this difficult time," Daniel said.
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KSHB 41 reporter Lily O’Shea Becker covers Franklin and Douglas counties in Kansas. Share your story idea with Lily.
