A family of Botham Jean sues Dallas ex-police officer

The family of a 26-year-old black man who was shot in his own apartment by a former white police officer from the Dallas Police Department filed a lawsuit at the federal level.

According to the complaint filed on Friday, Amber Guyger reportedly used excessive force when she shot and killed Botham Jean, a native of St. Lucia, on September 6. According to the records of the Court, Guyger would have confused his apartment and thought he had met an intruder.

She was charged with manslaughter a few days after the shooting and has since been fired. The complaint also states that the ministry has not adequately trained Guyger and adds that the agency is training his officers to use lethal force "even when there is no immediate threat to themselves or for others ".

Guyger and the city of Dallas as a whole are both named as defendants. This is because the Civil Rights Lawyer, Lee Merritt, who represents the John family, said the responsibility for this incident went beyond an officer.

"They used lethal force and they do not suffer any consequences," said Merrit. "Thus, this lawsuit is designed not only to treat this case as an isolated incident, but also to define precisely the policies and procedures that allow this sort of thing to continue to happen."

Both the City of Dallas and the Dallas Police Department have stated that they could not talk about a pending litigation. Guyger's criminal lawyer did not immediately respond to NBC's call for comment.

The family's lawyers also plan to petition the United Nations, saying it's an international affair since Jean was from St. Lucia.

Alice Barr of NBC5 contributed to this report.

Copyright Associated Press