Fight For/Against Kansas City Police Shooting Conviction Overturn

A war of words has emerged in the ongoing legal fight over the conviction of a former KCPD detective. 

Here's what our blog community can offer outside of the mainstream discourse . . . 

There's has been a low-key threat of violence and/or "community outrage" over a potential overturn of the first conviction of a Kansas City Police Officer in the modern era. Here at TKC we believe that kind of fear mongering is dangerous and politicized rhetoric that only speaks for the feelings of activists and not neighborhoods.  

Of course there is sympathy and love from the family of Cameron Lamb.

However . . . 

Nobody is going to riot for a guy who has been dead for three years. That's just not the way the world works, even before social media shortened the attention span of the American public to that of a goldfish. 

Accordingly . . . 

This is a boring political and legal discussion and probably not something that resonates as much with the plebs as local activists mistakenly contend.

None of this is to say that the proceedings aren't important and critical to a POLICY DEBATE going forward.

Accordingly, here are the main points . . .

"The evidence credited by the trial court did not support the convictions entered by the trial court," Bailey wrote. "DeValkenaere’s use of force was reasonable in light of Mr. Lamb’s use of deadly force against Schwalm, and the court erred as a matter of fact and law in determining that Schwalm and DeValkenaere were the initial aggressors. DeValkenaere also was not criminally negligent—both because he did not act with criminal negligence in causing Mr. Lamb’s death and because he reasonably used deadly force in defense of Schwalm. The Court should reverse DeValkenaere’s convictions and order him discharged or order a new trial."

The local response . . . 

Jackson County Prosecuting Attorney Jean Peters Baker, whose office secured the conviction, said it was another case of overreach by Bailey’s office and an attempt “to expand his power to that of judge” in a move unprecedented in her 25-year legal career.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

Missouri AG recommends overturning conviction of former KCPD detective

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey is recommending that former Kansas City Police Department detective Eric Devalkenaere's conviction be overturned.

Missouri AG sides with DeValkenaere, asks for reversal of former KCPD officer's conviction

In a highly unusual move, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey sided with convicted former Kansas City, Missouri, Police Det. Eric DeValkenaere in the state's response to his appeal.

'This is extremely distressing.'

Prosecutor weighs in on AG brief of DeValkenaere case

Kansas City attorney reviews Missouri AG's call to reverse DeValkenaere's conviction

John Picerno, a Kansas City area defense attorney, weighed on a brief filed by MO AG Andrew Bailey where called for former KCPD Det. Eric DeValkenaere's conviction to be reversed or for a new trial.

Developing . . .