Governor Commutes Manslaughter Sentence of Former Kansas City Detective

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson has granted the commutation of former Kansas City Police Detective Eric DeValkenaere, who had been serving a six-year sentence for the fatal shooting of Cameron Lamb in December 2019.

DeValkenaere was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action in November 2021 during a bench trial presided over by Judge J. Dale Youngs.

DeValkenaere’s official commutation document, signed by Parson, does not pardon the former officer. Instead, it places him on parole, “subject to the conditions imposed by the Parole Board.” If he violates the conditions, the parole can be revoked, according to Yahoo News .

"Missouri has taken a powerful step in standing with law enforcement by correcting a grave injustice," the Missouri FOP said in a post on X , formerly known as Twitter.

"No police officer should be in prison for a split-second decision to protect his partner," Missouri State Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer said on X.