*Finally. The female Dallas police officer who shot and killed Bothan Shem Jean, a civilian black man, after entering HIS apartment, supposedly by mistake, has been identified. Her name is Amber Guyger, and interestingly, she was also involved in the shooting of a suspect in 2017, according to a report.
Confirmation of Guyger being the shooter came after the disclosure of her name earlier today by the Dallas Morning News. The officer’s name had already been circulating in social media posts, the report said. As you can imagine, the police confirmation of Guyger’s name followed several days of criticism of the department for not identifying the officer sooner.
Here’s the part that we’re certain has gotten the attention of activists: Whether Guyger will be charged with a crime in connection with Jean’s death is the subject of a Texas Rangers investigation.
Dallas police Chief Renee Hall said Saturday that the Rangers had asked her to hold off on a planned manslaughter charge while their investigation is underway, FOX 4 of Dallas reported.
Guyger faced no charges following a May 12, 2017, incident in which police say she shot and wounded Uvaldo Perez after a struggle that resulted in Perez taking Guyger’s stun gun, according to an affidavit reviewed by the Morning News.
Perez ultimately entered a plea deal in February 2018, admitting he took a weapon from an officer, possessed illegal drugs and violated his parole, the newspaper reported. He was sentenced to two years in prison.
Following Thurday’s fatal shooting of Jean, Guyger was said to be “devastated,” the Morning News reported.
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Beautiful song in honor of #BothamJean at his church. Organizers say they hope to keep the focus on Jean and away from any other distractions today @FOX4 pic.twitter.com/ghNRwahBhE
— Lynnanne Nguyen (@LynnanneFOX4) September 8, 2018
Meanwhile, Jean’s family held a vigil for him Saturday at Dallas West Church of Christ, FOX 4 reported. The family asked that Jean be remembered as a youth pastor, singer and good friend and family member — and not as the focus of speculation or political agendas, the station reported.
Lee Merritt, an attorney representing Jean’s family, tweeted Saturday:
“Our first & foremost priority will be to ensure justice is served for this family. That includes holding Amber Guyger accountable for her crimes as well as ID’ing all responsible for enabling this incident.”
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Our office has been retained to represent the estate of #BothamShemJean. Our first & foremost priority will be to ensure justice is served for this family. That includes holding Amber Guyger accountable for her crimes as well as ID’ing all responsible for enabling this incident. pic.twitter.com/p9tJAiJZOi
— S. Lee Merritt, Esq. (@MeritLaw) September 8, 2018
Thursday’s shooting occurred after Guyger was returning home in uniform from a 12-hour shift, according to police. Guyger allegedly entered an apartment she thought was hers, and killed a man she didn’t recognize, Dallas’ FOX 4 reported. Afterward, she called 911, police said.
Responding officers found Jean badly wounded. He was transferred to a hospital and died later that evening.
Jean was a businessman born in St. Lucia, a Caribbean island nation where he and his family held positions in government. He had recently graduated from Harding University in Arkansas and had been working in Dallas since 2016.
Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings and state Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, held a news conference Saturday afternoon in which they urged the community for patience as the investigation proceeds, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported.
“Is this a white on black crime? Yes,” West said. “It was a white, female Dallas police officer who shot and killed a person from St. Lucia of African descent. Is this a race-related crime? Don’t know. I would hold any type of decision you make on what happened until all of the facts come in.”
source: Fox News
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