'Unbecoming': Family angered over Kansas City chief's remark at fatal police shooting scene
Family members of Cameron Lamb are outraged with Kansas City Police Chief Rick Smith’s description of him as a “bad guy” minutes after he was fatally shot by a police detective, saying the comment illustrates larger issues with police culture that need to be addressed.
Det. Eric DeValkenaere shot and killed Lamb, 26, while he was backing his pickup into his garage on Dec. 3, 2019 at 4154 College Ave. DeValkenaere was found guilty earlier this month of second-degree involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action in the killing.
The chief arrived at the crime scene shortly after the shooting unfolded. An audio recording recently obtained by The Star through a public records request captured Smith saying: “Everyone is good, house is clear. Bad guy’s dead.”
Laurie Bey, Lamb’s mother, said she was “shocked” to hear her son described that way by Kansas City’s top cop. She said the gut reaction that Lamb was a bad guy demonstrates that Kansas City police are all too willing to immediately accept as fact the early accounts of other officers in police shootings.
Read more at: https://www.kansascity.com/news/article256242447.html
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