Former cop indicted on murder charge in Texas neighbor’s death
DALLAS — A white former Dallas police officer was indicted on a murder charge Friday, nearly three months after she fatally shot an unarmed black neighbor whose apartment she said she entered by mistake, believing it to be her own.
Amber Guyger told fellow officers that she opened fire when Botham Jean appeared in the darkness.
Jean’s relatives joined the district attorney for the announcement of the charge. Jean, a 26-year-old native of the Caribbean island nation of St. Lucia, attended college in Arkansas and had been working in Dallas for accounting and consulting firm PwC.
“I truly believe that she inflicted tremendous evil on my son,” Jean’s mother, Allison said after the announcement. “He didn’t deserve it. He was seated in his own apartment.”
Guyger was arrested on a manslaughter charge three days after the Sept. 6 shooting, prompting criticism that the original charge was too lenient. But Johnson said at the time that the grand jury could upgrade the charge, which it did Friday.
“When you look at the facts of this case, we thought that it was murder all along,” Dallas County District Attorney Faith Johnson said.
After finishing her shift, Guyger told investigators, she returned home in uniform and parked on the fourth floor of her apartment complex’s garage, rather than the third floor, where her unit was located, according to an affidavit prepared by the Texas Rangers.
She said she got to what she thought was her apartment — Jean’s was directly above hers — and found the door ajar. She opened it to find a figure standing in the darkness. She said she pulled her gun and fired twice after the person ignored her commands.
Guyger has since been fired from the department, and Jean’s family has filed a lawsuit against Guyger and the city of Dallas. The federal suit argues that Guyger used excessive force in the shooting and contends the department did not give her adequate training.
The circumstances of the shooting sparked outrage and led many to question Guyger’s account. Critics, including Jean’s family, also wondered why it took three days for Guyger to be charged, why she was not taken into custody immediately after the shooting and whether race played a factor in her decision to use deadly force.
After the indictment was issued, Guyger turned herself in and posted bond a second time. She had been free on bond since her arrest. She faces up to life in prison if convicted. A manslaughter charge would have brought a sentence of up to 20 years.