Facebook/Kaufman County Sheriff’s Office via REUTERS
Dallas police officer Amber Guyger has been fired after the fatal shooting of Botham Jean, an unarmed black man in his apartment.
On Sept. 6, Guyger returned to her apartment complex after a shift, entered the wrong unit — exactly one floor above her own — and shot and killed 26-year-old Jean, according to her arrest affidavit. Guyger said she mistook the apartment for her own and thought Jean was an intruder; Jean’s family lawyer has said the officer’s statement is “demonstrably false.”
Guyger was arrested and charged with manslaughter in Jean’s death in the days after the shooting, but she had remained on the city’s payroll on administrative leave. Her continued employment brought protests and harsh criticism from members of the community — and Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Beto O’Rourke.
The police department originally said the firing decision would be on hold until after the criminal investigation, according to The Dallas Morning News. But on Monday, the department issued a statement saying that Guyger had been fired in a hearing after an internal affairs review.
The department said Guyger “engaged in adverse conduct when she was arrested for manslaughter.” Guyger can appeal the firing.
This story is developing and will be updated.
Source: Texas Tribune Blue Left News
