Dallas (AP) On Wednesday, a federal civil trial awarded almost $100 million to the family of a man who was shot and killed by a Dallas police officer who said she mistakenly thought his apartment was her own.
Following a three-day trial, the jury concluded that former officer Amber Guyger had violated Botham Jean’s constitutional rights and used excessive force in his 2018 death. The jury found her guilty and awarded her $98.65 million.
According to a statement from Jean’s family’s legal team, the verdict is a potent monument to Botham’s life and the great injustice of his passing. It is impossible to overlook the serious problems with racial bias and police accountability that this case exposed. The decision rendered today makes it quite evident that law enforcement personnel who commit crimes cannot avoid the repercussions of their acts.
Guyger claimed that after a long workday, she found Jean’s apartment unlocked when she walked to it. Jean’s apartment was on the fourth story, right above hers on the third. She claimed that when she pulled out her revolver and went inside, she believed the flat to be her own.
Guyger entered Jean’s apartment and shot him while he was having a bowl of ice cream. Jean was an accountant from the Caribbean island nation of St. Lucia.
After being convicted of murder and given a ten-year jail sentence, Guyger was later dismissed from the Dallas Police Department. Media sites claimed earlier this fall that she was denied parole.
The facts surrounding the shooting and the fact that it was one of multiple shootings of Black individuals by white police officers attracted a lot of attention.
According to The Dallas Morning News, during closing arguments, Jean’s family’s lawyers asked the jury to convey to the jury that people of Dallas County would be safe in our homes.
According to court documents, Guyger gave up her right to take part in the trial, which the family claimed demonstrated her lack of responsibility.
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