Kansas City police will pay $4.1 million in Cameron Lamb settlement, but won't admit fault

Jonathan Shorman and PJ Green, The Kansas City Star on Apr 22, 2025

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City police will pay $4.1 million to settle a federal lawsuit in the death of Cameron Lamb, who was fatally shot by former detective Eric DeValkenaere, capping a years-long saga that damaged the relationship between the city’s Black community and law enforcement.

A settlement agreement approved Tuesday by U.S. District Court Judge Beth Phillips comes with no admission of fault or wrongdoing by either DeValkenaere or the Kansas City Police Department. DeValkenaere was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the 2019 shooting and served about one year of a six-year prison sentence before then-Missouri Gov. Mike Parson commuted his sentence in December.

DeValkenaere was the first Kansas City officer ever convicted of killing a Black man, and his clemency infuriated local civic and political leaders. Even as the criminal case against DeValkenaere played out in Jackson County, a federal civil lawsuit brought by Lamb’s mother, Laurie Bey, and other family members against the former detective and the Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners plodded along.

The lawsuit alleged a violation of the Fourth Amendment and claims DeValkenaere used excessive force. The family is seeking more than $10 million in compensatory damages.

“The Parties in this lawsuit, without any admission of liability or fault in any way by any party, and in recognition of the cost and unpredictability of litigation, desire to compromise and settle all claims for injuries and/or damages related to the allegations in the lawsuit,” Phillips wrote in an order approving the settlement.

While the total settlement is $4.1 million, 40% of the amount will go to attorneys for the family. Each plaintiff will receive nearly $474,500 after fees, and Lamb’s father, Bobby Lamb, will receive $50,000. Bobby Lamb was not a party to the lawsuit.

DeValkenaere, who is white, was convicted in 2021 of involuntary manslaughter in the fatal shooting of Cameron Lamb, a Black man, in December 2019. DeValkenaere shot and killed the 26-year-old as Lamb was backing his pickup truck into his garage. The shooting took place roughly nine seconds after DeValkenaere and his partner pulled up to Lamb’s residence.

DeValkenaere was sentenced to six years in prison but remained free on bond as his criminal appeal worked through the courts. The ex-detective surrendered to authorities in October 2023 when the Missouri Court of Appeals upheld his conviction. The Missouri Supreme Court declined to hear the case.

In September, a federal judge ruled DeValkenaere wasn’t entitled to qualified immunity because he violated Lamb’s constitutional rights. Qualified immunity protects officers from liability most of the time and is a steep hurdle to overcome in civil lawsuits. Phillips wrote that “it was well established” that Fourth Amendment protections extend to the curtilage surrounding a home.

Lamb’s residence was fenced and shielded from view by bushes. A barbecue grill and car hood also blocked a public view of the backyard and — Phillips noted — DeValkenaere kicked the barricade over and entered the backyard.

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