KANSAS CITY, Mo. — President Trump and Attorney General William Barr promised a federal investigation into the death of Cameron Lamb, who was shot and killed in December 2019 by a Kansas City. Missouri, police detective.
Trump met with several families of individuals who were killed by police from around the country, including Lamb’s family, Tuesday at the White House before announcing an executive order on police reform.
It was at that meeting, which happened two days before the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office announced charges against the KCPD officer who shot Lamb, whenTrump promised a federal investigation, according to Lamb’s family.
“We are pleased at this first step in getting justice for our son, but cannot rest until the man who killed him is behind bars,” the Lamb family said in a statement released late Friday night by family attorney Lee Merritt. “President Trump and the Attorney General personally promised us a federal investigation into criminal charges for this officer and police department when we met with them this week. We are anxiously waiting for federal action while the state criminal charges proceed against this officer.”
KCPD Det. Eric DeValkenaere was charged Thursday with involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action after prosecutors allege he illegally went on Lamb’s property before shooting him as he backed a truck into the garage.
A Jackson County grand jury handed down the indictment, which said it determined DeValkenaere “recklessly” caused Lamb’s death, leading to the two felony charges.
Involuntary manslaughter is punishable by three to 10 years in prison, while the mandatory minimum sentence for armed criminal action is three years.
“The family of Cameron Lamb welcomes these charges but is eager to see a conviction followed by incarceration for the officer,” Merritt said in a statement accompanying the Lamb family’s statement.
Lamb’s family and Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker expressed concern over KCPD’s handling of the investigation, lack of transparency and obstruction of the charging process.
New details of the events surrounding Lamb’s death, including a conflicting account of whether he had a gun in his hand from the other detective at the scene along with information about a voicemail in the immediate aftermath of the shooting and a years-old injury to Lamb’s left hand — the hand in which he was allegedly holding the gun — were released Friday when prosecutors released the indictment.
