Missouri Police Officer Who Killed Black Man In His Backyard Charged With Manslaughter

A Kansas City, Missouri, police officer, who killed a black man in his own backyard last year, was indicted for involuntary manslaughter Thursday (June 18).

On Dec.3, officers in a police helicopter saw the victim, identified as Cameron Lamb, chasing a car in his pickup truck. The officers on the ground were informed about it. They arrived at Lamb’s backyard while he was still in the truck. One of them, later identified as Detective Eric DeValkenaere, opened fire at Lamb, a 26-year-old father of three, after he allegedly pulled out a gun and pointed it at the other officer.

DeValkenaere, who worked with the Kansas City Police Department since 1999, was suspended following the incident and was charged with involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action. A Jackson County grand jury indicted him Thursday.

Speaking to ABC-affiliated television station KMBC on Thursday, Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said, “The defendant's reckless behavior began by entering the victim’s property without consent, without a warrant, knocking over the fence to gain entry into that backyard, and firing his weapon, killing Cameron within seconds of entry. The conscious disregard of a risk, or in this case, a series of risks or assumptions that were dangerous.”

Lamb’s family members met with President Donald Trump a few days back to discuss topics like racial inequality and police reform.

Speaking about the meeting, Lamb’s stepfather, Aquil Bey, said, "We met with the president ... and he promised us that the DOJ as well as the FBI is going to look into this case. So even though these charges are not what they could have been, there may be other charges coming. President Trump himself told us, verbally, that, 'Look, we're gonna look into this for you.'"

In a statement, the Kansas City Police Department said it “continues to mourn the loss of life and all suffering surrounding this incident.”

“We respect the judicial process, including the grand jury's finding in this matter, as well as all defendants' presumption of innocence until proven guilty. As the case makes its way through court, we will continue to respect the process, and therefore cannot comment further at this time. As with any officer involved shooting incident, we will internally review the actions taken by officers,” the statement read.

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas too released a statement saying, "My heart continues to break for the family of Cameron Lamb. I thank the Grand Jury, the Jackson County Prosecutor's office, and the FBI for their work. Even though it has been unnecessarily delayed in this case, I believe our justice system in Kansas City took an important step today, showing all are accountable before the law."