The former Dallas police officer who said she mistakenly shot and killed an unarmed neighbor, was charged with murder on Nov. 30, reported Dallas Observer.
Amber Renee Guyger, 30, surrendered to authorities after a grand jury indicted her on a charge of murder in the Sept. 6 death of Botham Jean, 26, Dallas County District Attorney’s spokeswoman, Kimberlee Leach told Reuters.
Guyger had allegedly shot Jean, after she mistook him for an intruder upon entering his apartment after her work shift; she noticed that Jean’s door was slightly ajar and enteredhis premises by mistake where he appeared in darkness, police said. Guyger, lived in an apartment one floor below Jean’s unit.
“The man did follow my commands”
According to an arrest warrant, Guyger said she had got off on the wrong floor and because it was dark, she believed she “had encountered a burglar.” Guyger said that the man did not follow her commands, reported NBC.
She stated that she gave several verbal commands to the individual, then drew her weapon and shot the man twice. Guyger then called 911.
The officer was in tears as she spoke to the 911 operator. Jean was later transported to the hospital where he died.
Manslaughter and Murder Charges
Guyger was initially arrested on a manslaughter charge on Sept. 9 and was released the same day on a $300,000 bond.
The initial decision to charge Guyger with manslaughter wasn’t up to Dallas County, Dallas County District Attorney Faith Johnson said. Instead, it was made by the Texas Rangers, who conducted the initial investigation in the case, reported Dallas Observer.
Dallas County District Attorney Johnson said at a press conference on Nov. 30 that a grand jury returned the murder charge after they presented evidence, and explained the law.
“This office has spent hundreds and hundreds of hours investigating this case. We were determined to present to the grand jury all of the facts and explain to them the law.”
“At the moment of this shooting, it was an intentional and knowing offense,” Dallas County District Attorney Johnson said.
During the press conference, Jean’s mother, Allison Jean said that Guyger had “inflicted tremendous evil on [her] son.”
“He didn’t deserve it, he was seated in his own apartment. He felt safe in that apartment and he was violated by her coming in and murdering him,” she added.
Verdict from mother
Jean’s mother said she was “satisfied” with Guyger’s murder charge.
“I look forward to the next step, which is a conviction of murder of Amber Guyger and also of a penalty, the proper penalty, that will cause her to reflect on what she has done,” Allison Jean said.
Jean, a native of the Caribbean island nation of St. Lucia, was a 2016 graduate of Harding University in Arkansas and was interning at PricewaterhouseCoopers at the time of his death.
Guyger was at first placed on administrative leave after shooting Jean but was fired days later, with the Dallas police chief citing in a tweet that Guyger was “terminated for her actions.”
— Dallas Police Dept (@DallasPD) September 24, 2018
Harding University said in a statement that Jean was active in campus affairs, leading a men’s social club and interning at the campus ministry of the Christian-faith-based college.
From The Epoch Times.
