White Kansas City officer convicted in Black man's 2019 death
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A judge on Friday convicted a white Kansas City police officer of involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action in the fatal shooting of a Black man, in a case in which prosecutors said police planted evidence.
Jackson County Judge Dale Youngs issued the bench ruling against Officer Eric DeValkenaere in the death of Cameron Lamb, 26. Lamb was shot while backing into his garage on Dec. 3, 2019, after chasing his girlfriend’s convertible in a stolen pickup truck.
DeValkenaere testified during the trial that he fired after Lamb pointed a gun at another detective, Troy Schwalm and that he believed his actions saved the life of his partner. On the stand, DeValkenaere said: “I’m thinking, ‘I can’t let this happen, I can’t let him shoot Troy.’”
Prosecutors, however, argued that police lacked the warrant to be on the property and staged the shooting scene to support their claims that Lamb was armed. Before he was shot, prosecutors said, Lamb had his left hand on the truck’s steering wheel and his cellphone in his right hand.
https://krcgtv.com/news/local/white-kansas-city-officer-convicted-in-black-mans-2019-death
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