Post by jaywonder on Oct 2, 2019 6:43:34 GMT
www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/amber-guyger-found-guilty-murder-trial-fatal-shooting-neighbor-botham-n1060506?fbclid=IwAR0tTzoVsevz93pBfI3zOEfmzx9NBRgjXTby_b1t0jE_zKYB09lTWs_VQuE
Just a long sample of the article.
Amber Guyger found guilty of murder at trial in fatal shooting of neighbor Botham Jean
Guyger was off-duty but in uniform when she shot Jean last year in a case that has become a flashpoint in Dallas over issues of police use of force and racial bias.
By Erik Ortiz
Former Dallas police Officer Amber Guyger was found guilty of murder Tuesday for fatally shooting her neighbor, Botham Jean, after thinking he was an intruder when she mistakenly entered his apartment.
Guyger, who has been out on a $300,000 bond, faces a maximum of life in prison. She was not immediately taken into custody and the sentencing phase in her trial began Tuesday afternoon with opening statements from Jean's mother.
A gasp could be heard in the packed courtroom when state District Judge Tammy Kemp read the jury's decision. Jean's family later walked out crying and embracing, many wearing red — the victim's favorite color.
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The jury was tasked with deciding whether Guyger, 31, acted reasonably when she used deadly force and if the prosecution had proven beyond a reasonable doubt that she had intentionally killed Jean. A lesser charge of manslaughter, which involves reckless conduct, was also on the table.
The jury will also decide on how to sentence Guyger. Kemp has allowed Guyger's social media posts to be admitted into evidence, including from her Pinterest page. NBC News has not verified earlier reports about her page.
Deliberations began Monday afternoon after a weeklong trial, which included the playing of the 911 call that Guyger made after shooting Jean and bodycam video from officers who responded to the scene.
Guyger was off-duty but in uniform when she twice shot at Jean on Sept. 6, 2018, just before 10 p.m., striking him in the chest. She had worked a 13-1/2-hour shift on the Dallas Police Department's crime response team that day and parked on the fourth floor of the complex's garage.
She lived on the third floor, and Jean, 26, an accountant and native of the island nation of St. Lucia, lived directly above her. The two did not know one another.
The fatal shooting led to one of the most anticipated murder trials in Dallas in decades, and became a flashpoint on the issues of police use of force and racial bias. Guyger is white and Jean was black, and the Jean family has questioned whether Guyger would have shot him if he were a different race.
Lee Merritt, an attorney for the Jean family representing them in a civil case, applauded the verdict as a "huge victory" for them as well as "all black people in America."
"It's a signal that the tide is going to change here," Merritt told reporters outside the court. "Police officers are going to be held accountable for their actions, and we believe this is going to change the policing culture all over the world."
Another family attorney, Benjamin Crump, added that Jean was the "perfect" victim — a young black man who was college-educated and doing nothing but relaxing inside his home after work.
"It shouldn't take all of that for unarmed black and brown people to get justice," Crump said.
Prosecutors said Jean was watching television and eating a bowl of vanilla ice cream in his living room when Guyger burst inside, likely scaring him. Although Guyger said that she used her electronic key fob in the lock, the door pushed open, and she immediately drew her service weapon once inside.
Testifying in her own defense last week, Guyger tearfully told jurors that she was scared for her life when she entered an apartment that she thought was hers. She said she commanded, "Let me see your hands," but the man inside began coming toward her and yelling, "Hey! Hey! Hey!"
The trajectory of the bullet showed that Jean was either getting up from his couch or cowering when Guyger fired at him, the prosecution said.
"I never wanted to take an innocent person's life. I'm so sorry," Guyger said on the stand. "This is not about hate — it's about being scared."
Guyger was off-duty but in uniform when she shot Jean last year in a case that has become a flashpoint in Dallas over issues of police use of force and racial bias.
By Erik Ortiz
Former Dallas police Officer Amber Guyger was found guilty of murder Tuesday for fatally shooting her neighbor, Botham Jean, after thinking he was an intruder when she mistakenly entered his apartment.
Guyger, who has been out on a $300,000 bond, faces a maximum of life in prison. She was not immediately taken into custody and the sentencing phase in her trial began Tuesday afternoon with opening statements from Jean's mother.
A gasp could be heard in the packed courtroom when state District Judge Tammy Kemp read the jury's decision. Jean's family later walked out crying and embracing, many wearing red — the victim's favorite color.
Download the NBC News app for breaking news and politics
The jury was tasked with deciding whether Guyger, 31, acted reasonably when she used deadly force and if the prosecution had proven beyond a reasonable doubt that she had intentionally killed Jean. A lesser charge of manslaughter, which involves reckless conduct, was also on the table.
The jury will also decide on how to sentence Guyger. Kemp has allowed Guyger's social media posts to be admitted into evidence, including from her Pinterest page. NBC News has not verified earlier reports about her page.
Deliberations began Monday afternoon after a weeklong trial, which included the playing of the 911 call that Guyger made after shooting Jean and bodycam video from officers who responded to the scene.
Guyger was off-duty but in uniform when she twice shot at Jean on Sept. 6, 2018, just before 10 p.m., striking him in the chest. She had worked a 13-1/2-hour shift on the Dallas Police Department's crime response team that day and parked on the fourth floor of the complex's garage.
She lived on the third floor, and Jean, 26, an accountant and native of the island nation of St. Lucia, lived directly above her. The two did not know one another.
The fatal shooting led to one of the most anticipated murder trials in Dallas in decades, and became a flashpoint on the issues of police use of force and racial bias. Guyger is white and Jean was black, and the Jean family has questioned whether Guyger would have shot him if he were a different race.
Lee Merritt, an attorney for the Jean family representing them in a civil case, applauded the verdict as a "huge victory" for them as well as "all black people in America."
"It's a signal that the tide is going to change here," Merritt told reporters outside the court. "Police officers are going to be held accountable for their actions, and we believe this is going to change the policing culture all over the world."
Another family attorney, Benjamin Crump, added that Jean was the "perfect" victim — a young black man who was college-educated and doing nothing but relaxing inside his home after work.
"It shouldn't take all of that for unarmed black and brown people to get justice," Crump said.
Prosecutors said Jean was watching television and eating a bowl of vanilla ice cream in his living room when Guyger burst inside, likely scaring him. Although Guyger said that she used her electronic key fob in the lock, the door pushed open, and she immediately drew her service weapon once inside.
Testifying in her own defense last week, Guyger tearfully told jurors that she was scared for her life when she entered an apartment that she thought was hers. She said she commanded, "Let me see your hands," but the man inside began coming toward her and yelling, "Hey! Hey! Hey!"
The trajectory of the bullet showed that Jean was either getting up from his couch or cowering when Guyger fired at him, the prosecution said.
"I never wanted to take an innocent person's life. I'm so sorry," Guyger said on the stand. "This is not about hate — it's about being scared."
Just a long sample of the article.
