This archive report was first published on 2 October 2019.
On September 6, 2018, a tragic event shook the city of Dallas when Botham Jean, a 26-year-old black man from St. Lucia, was fatally shot by his neighbor, Amber Guyger, a white police officer. The incident occurred in an apartment complex where Mr. Jean lived on the third floor and Ms. Guyger resided directly below him.
Ms. Guyger, who had worked for the Dallas Police Department for four years, claimed she had accidentally parked on the wrong floor of the complex's garage and entered Mr. Jean's apartment, thinking it was her own. She testified that she drew her gun and shouted, 'Let me see your hands,' after noticing someone inside. However, her account conflicted with prosecution witnesses, including neighbors who said they did not hear verbal commands and a medical examiner who testified that the bullet had a downward trajectory, indicating that Mr. Jean was either getting up from a seated position or was 'in a cowering position' when he was shot.
Ms. Guyger's defense team argued that the door strike plate was defective and not fully latched, allowing her to enter the apartment using her own keys. However, this claim was disputed by the prosecution, which pointed out that Ms. Guyger's actions were inconsistent with her claims of being in a state of fear.
Benjamin Crump, a civil rights lawyer representing the Jean family, said, 'Botham was the best that we have to offer,' adding, 'But it shouldn’t take all of that for unarmed black and brown people in America to get justice.'
Ms. Guyger was found guilty of murder on October 2, 2019, and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
