Dallas police dismiss officer who fatally shot man in his home

 

The Dallas Police Department on Monday fired the police officer who is facing a manslaughter charge after fatally shooting a man in his apartment that she later claimed she mistook for her own.

 

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - The Dallas Police Department on Monday fired a police officer who is facing a manslaughter charge after fatally shooting a man in his apartment that the officer said she mistook for her own home.

 

Officer Amber Guyger had been dismissed after nearly five years on the job for her actions on the night of the shooting earlier in September, Dallas Police Chief U. Renee Hall said in a statement. Hall also said Guyger had engaged in "adverse conduct" when she was arrested for manslaughter, without elaborating.

 

Guyger, 30, had been on administrative leave since she fatally shot Botham Jean, 26. The killing of an unarmed black man by a white officer sparked protests in the Texas city, with many calling for the officer to be fired and charged with murder. 

 

The decision to fire Guyger came after an internal review. Guyger can appeal the decision, police said. An attorney for the officer was not immediately available for comment.

 

Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings said he heard the calls to take action and supported the decision.

 

"The swift termination of any officer who engages in misconduct that leads to the loss of innocent life is essential if the Dallas Police Department is to gain and maintain the public trust," he said in a statement.

 

A funeral for Jean was planned for Monday in his native Saint Lucia, Dallas media reported.

 

S. Lee Merritt, an attorney for the Jean family, said the police chief informed the family of the department's decision on Sunday night and they supported the move.

 

"The Jean family said that this was an initial victory but are still focused on the proper indictment by the grand jury of murder, a successful prosecution and an appropriate sentence," he said in an interview. The family is also considering suing the department and the city, he said.

 

The case is before a grand jury. District Attorney Faith Johnson said the panel may decide to uphold the manslaughter charge on which Guyger was arrested, or it could consider a more serious charge of murder.

 

Police said Guyger has told investigators she mistook Jean's residence for her own and shot him, believing he was an intruder.

 

Guyger said she had mistakenly gone to Jean's apartment one floor above her own and managed to enter because the door was slightly ajar, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.

 

(Reporting by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Bernadette Baum and Rosalba O'Brien)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-09-25

Right

I hope, there is more for her!

But loosing her job, is a start!

Walk into a guys home and shoot him hope much more is coming to that one

Unless she was rather drunk or very tired, one would hope for a greater sense of awareness by someone who was given a badge and a firearm.    

 That all is not said is likely. On the other hand, it is a murder and this poor man is dead for sure.

13 hours ago, webfact said:

The family is also considering suing the department and the city,

 

Presume the gun was police issue, should make them leave their fire arms at the station when they finish their shifts... 

Had he shoot her when she broke into his apartment he may well have been in his rights...

Quote

A person is presumed justified in using deadly force to protect themselves against an unlawful, forceful intrusion into their dwelling, or to prevent an unlawful, forceful attempt to remove a lawful occupant from the dwelling, or to prevent certain serious felonies such as burglary or arson. There is no duty to retreat from any place where the shooter has a legal right to be.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_laws_in_Texas

Have we had the results of the drug and alcohol tests yet? I remember one of the initial reports saying she'd been tested but the results weren't in. I initially thought this was the most likely explanation but later read she'd just come off a shift, so that explanation now seems less likely. In some ways her being totally out of it, because of drugs or alcohol, would be less worrying, cos that'd at least be a rational explanation for her behaviour.

What ever the excuse this woman uses like, I was so tired, or confesses to being drunk etc, she should get 2nd degree murder. No good reason that she tried her key and it did not work, then the guy opens the door and she hauls out her gun and just shoots him dead, she murdered him.

Geezer

"Hall also said Guyger had engaged in "adverse conduct" when she was arrested for manslaughter, without elaborating."

 

The Police Chief is causing mistrust in the force by not giving a full explaination on why she was fired. 

13 hours ago, Stargrazer9889 said:

What ever the excuse this woman uses like, I was so tired, or confesses to being drunk etc, she should get 2nd degree murder. No good reason that she tried her key and it did not work, then the guy opens the door and she hauls out her gun and just shoots him dead, she murdered him.

Geezer

Just returned from Dallas. The guy did not open his door and get shot. Don’t know where you are getting your facts. His apartment was one floor above her apartment. His door was ajar and open and she went into his apartment thinking it was her apartment and incorrectly thinking he was an intruder.  

One thing I wonder is why did she not turn on the lights when she went into this

guys apartment?  If that had happened would she not have seen all the differences

of the apartment? It is a shame how so many people have the quick urge to shoot

someone instead of making sure that the situation is as bad as this ex cop thought

it was.

Geezer

A post containing an off topic link to the recent Marriott Hotel data breach has been removed.

 

I'll try this again. She is now charged with murder. 

 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2018/11/30/dallas-cop-officer-racial-murder-indictment-guyger/2165572002/

Edited December 1, 20187 yr by metisdead
Quoted public notice removed.

Police Officers as with Military and hunters are told to positively identify your target. Obviously She did not do this.

Obviously she did not identify her Apartment but assumed he was an Intruder.

This is two assumptions which should lead to an unlawful shooting conviction.

The Court has decided she is to be charged with murder.

I guess she is lucky not felony murder as technically she was unlawfully on that poor persons property

On 12/1/2018 at 10:25 AM, Kiwiken said:

Police Officers as with Military and hunters are told to positively identify your target. Obviously She did not do this.

Obviously she did not identify her Apartment but assumed he was an Intruder.

This is two assumptions which should lead to an unlawful shooting conviction.

The Court has decided she is to be charged with murder.

I guess she is lucky not felony murder as technically she was unlawfully on that poor persons property