Police face ire over portrayal of victim

DALLAS >> Attorneys for the family of a black man who was killed in his own apartment by a white police officer accused Dallas police of trying to “assassinate his character” and expressed fury that authorities sought a search warrant that resulted in the discovery of marijuana in the victim’s apartment.

At a news conference Friday, the lawyers said the search warrant, which allowed investigators to look for drugs, should have never been issued.

They also called for the firing of police officer Amber Guyger, who gunned down 26-year-old Botham Jean in his own apartment on Sept. 6. She has been booked on a preliminary charge of manslaughter and is free on bond.

Guyger told investigators she mistook Jean’s apartment for her own, which is right below his, and that upon entering the dark home, she believed she had encountered an intruder and shot him when he didn’t obey her verbal commands.

Lee Merritt, one of the Jean family attorneys, said Friday that investigators wasted no time in digging for dirt they could use to smear Jean’s name. Within hours of Jean being shot, they asked a judge for a warrant to search his home for drugs, among other things.

“On the night that he was killed, the Dallas Police Department investigators were interested specifically in finding information that could help assassinate his character,” Merritt said.

Dallas police did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the criticism.

Jean’s mother, Allison Jean, expressed disgust that on Thursday the results of the search of his home surfaced. They showed that, among the things, police found a small amount of marijuana — 10.4 grams — and a marijuana grinder.