BREAKING — June 18: Grand jury indicts KCPD detective in deadly shooting of Cameron Lamb
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — For more than three months, family, friends and lawyers of Cameron Lamb have been searching for answers about the shooting at the hands of Kansas City Police, that left the father of three dead.
“Law enforcement has been very tight lipped about their investigation,” said civil rights attorney S. Lee Merritt, who is representing the Lamb’s family in the legal proceedings.
Details of the shooting have been not been clear.
Here’s how police described the shooting:
On the afternoon of Dec. 3, 2019, Lamb was chasing another car in his truck near 35th and College.
The KCPD Helicopter Unit spotted him, and followed him behind a home near 40th and College.
That’s when two-plain clothes officers approached him while he was still in the truck.
One officer said he shot at Lamb, after seeing him pull out a gun, and point it at the other officer.
Police say a gun was found at the scene.
“The officers are going to say that they feared for their life, Mr. Lamb represented a threat to them,” Merritt saud,
Merritt, who has been front and center of police shootings of Botham Jean and Atatiana
Jefferson, both who were shot by officers while in their own space, says Lamb’s case is very similar, where the civil rights of those killed were violated.
Merritt said Lamb did own a gun, but it hasn’t been proven that he flashed it at police, but he said because officers weren’t chasing him there was no need to be on the property.
“If there was an ongoing pursuit going on, they could go onto the property, but there was no ongoing pursuit. You can’t create a deadly hazard and then use it as the justification for use of force,” he said.
Merritt said he is conducting his own investigation into the shooting that includes witness statements, scene recreations, and autopsy findings.
He said he’s pleased with the investigation be conducted by the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office, and has turned over some of his own findings to help with the investigation.
“It’s not easy to prosecute a police officer in the United States, but we anticipate criminal charges being brought against this officer and then that civil suit will be state.”
Merritt said each passing day has been tough for the parents of Lamb, who are seeking justice and closure.
“It’s been troubling all together because we just have not heard much of anything regarding the case, it’s just hard when you’re waiting,” Cameron’s mom Laurie Bey said.
She said celebrating Christmas just weeks after Cameron’s death, and the Chiefs Super Bowl victory without her son has been the toughest things she’s ever done.
“You go to sleep at night, he’s on your mind, you wake up in the morning he’s on your mind,” Bey said.
In addition to seeking answers, Merritt is also educating others about their own fourth amendment rights.
Serving as a panelist on a discussion forum called Killed By Police: It Can Happen To You.
The event Thursday night aimed to raise awareness about law enforcement and the levels of transparency in cases like Lamb’s.
Merritt said he has enough evidence to support a civil lawsuit.
The Jackson County Prosecutors office told FOX4, they are currently reviewing the case to determine if the shooting was justified and if charges will be filed.
There’s no timetable on when a decision could be reached.