KANSAS CITY, Mo. — PreOn Friday, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson commuted the sentence of former Kansas City, Missouri, police officer Eric DeValkenaere for the death of Cameron Lamb.
DeValkenaere, 46, was serving a six-year prison sentence in connection to the deadly 2019 police shooting of Cameron Lamb.
"In Missouri, clemency powers rest exclusively with the Governor," Parson said in a statement. "After careful consideration, Governor Parson today exercised his constitutional authority on a number of final pending clemency petitions."
KSHB 41 News anchor Caitlin Knute spoke to Laurie Bey, Lamb's mother, moments after she learned of the governor's decision.
"It's very displeasing to hear," Bey wrote in a text to Knute. "We knew this was going to happen. Mike Kehoe ran on this platform. He said he would have Eric's back and that his wife and Sara were friends. Parson also spoke of considering clemency for DeValkenaere. Not once did either of them say they would speak to the family of Cameron Lamb, which lets me know that they feel his life didn't matter."
A statement from Lamb's sister was also sent to Knute Friday evening.
"I'm devastated by the news," she wrote. "As if this time of the year wasn't difficult for us, now we have to deal with this. They've shown no regard for our family's feelings or how this affects us."
A Jackson County Circuit Court judge found DeValkenaere guilty of second-degree manslaughter and armed criminal action. The Missouri Court of Appeals upheld the conviction. The Missouri Supreme Court declined to hear the case.
Jackson County Prosecuting Attorney Jean Peters Baker released a statement Friday afternoon on social media following Parson's decision.
"DeValkenaere was convicted for killing an unarmed man. Period. He was shown incredible mercy by the Governor. No such mercy was shown to the victims. Today, we will focus our time caring for Cameron's family rather than commenting further," Peters Baker said.
While Parson commuted DeValkenaere's sentence, he did not pardon him. The Associated Press reports DeValkenaere will be placed on parole for the duration of his sentence. He will be prohibited from possessing firearms and traveling outside of the state, among other items.
In the minutes before Parson publicly announced DeValkenaere's commutation, a KSHB 41 check of the Missouri Department of Corrections inmate database did not include DeValkenaere.
A Missouri Department of Corrections spokesperson confirmed to KSHB 41 that DeValkenaere was released from an out-of-state prison at around 1:15 p.m.
Parson has been at the center of an effort to review DeValkenaere's sentence ever since the former officer surrendered to prison in September 2023. Parson has repeatedly said the decision was among the most complicated to come across his desk.
DETAILED TIMELINE | Shooting of Lamb, conviction of DeValkenaere
Friday’s commutation was the last group of pardons and commutations of Parson’s time as governor. Had he not taken action on DeValkenaere, Missouri Governor-elect Mike Kehoe seemed poised to do so after he takes office next month.
Kehoe provided a statement Friday afternoon to KSHB 41 News.
"I appreciate Governor Parson taking this action to bring Eric home to his family," Kehoe said in the statement.
A KCPD spokesperson responded to a request for comment Friday afternoon saying the decision was "within the Governor’s purview of his executive authority.”
Early Friday evening, the office of Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas released a statement on Parson's decision.
"The Mayor continues to pray for all those touched by the tragic events surrounding the death of Cameron Lamb," the mayor's office said in the statement. "As Mayor and Kansas City's only selection as commissioner on the state-appointed five member Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners, Mayor Lucas remained committed to strengthening the trust between law enforcement and our community."
President and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Kansas City Gwendolyn Grant called Parson’s decision "flagrant" and a "betrayal of justice" in a statement Friday evening.
Earlier this month, Lamb's family and friends marked the 5th anniversary of his death.
The Associated Press contributed reporting to this story.
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