MO: White officer who fatally shot black man shouldn’t have been in his backyard, judge rules in suit

Source: SFGate

“A federal judge has partially sided with the family of a [b]lack man who was fatally shot by a now-imprisoned white Kansas City, Missouri, police detective. U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips ruled Wednesday that Eric DeValkenaere violated 26-year-old Cameron Lamb’s Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable search and seizure by entering his property in 2019 without a warrant or other legal reason to be there. However, Phillips declined to issue a judgment on the family’s claim that the ensuing shooting amounted to excessive force, largely for technical reasons. Phillips made no immediate decision on damages in the wrongful death case filed against the Kansas City police board and DeValkenaere. DeValkenaere is now serving a six-year sentence after he was convicted in 2021 of involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action. The case has divided activists and Republican lawmakers. The shooting happened as Lamb returned home after chasing his girlfriend’s convertible.” (09/19/24)

https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/white-officer-who-fatally-shot-black-man-19777632.php