A former Kansas City, Missouri, police officer convicted in connection with the death of a man while on duty will be allowed to remain out of jail while he appeals his conviction.
A judge ruled Eric DeValkenaere did not need to be remanded into custody while awaiting sentencing on his second-degree involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action convictions in the death of Cameron Lamb.
The judge said DeValkenaere should be allowed to remain free through the appeals process because he’s not a flight risk, nor is he a danger to the community.
DeValkenaere is scheduled to be sentenced on March 4.
Lamb was parking a pickup truck in his backyard when he was shot on Dec. 3, 2019.
In the original case, the judge agreed with the state’s argument that DeValkenaere and his partner should not have pursued Lamb into his backyard and that the deadly shooting was not lawful self-defense.
He found the officers were the aggressors in this incident because they did not have probable cause that a crime had occurred and entered private property without a warrant or consent. The judge said the officers escalated a situation that had previously de-escalated and that they had a duty to retreat.
