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This September 21, 2017, photo provided by Harding University in Search, Ark., Shows Botham Jean leading the worship at a presidential reception in Dallas. Authorities said Friday, September 7, 2018 that a Dallas policeman who was returning home after work shot and killed Jean, a neighbor, after saying he took his apartment for his. The officer called the dispatch to report that she had shot the man Thursday night, police said. (Jeff Montgomery / Harding University via AP)
DALLAS – The family lawyer of a man who was shot at his home by a Dallas police officer calls for his arrest and his indictment.
S. Lee Merritt, who represents the family of 26-year-old Botham Jean, said on Saturday that the family was not urging the authorities to jump to conclusions or deny Amber Guyger his due process. But Merritt, surrounded by family members and the brutality of the mothers against the police, said he wanted Guyger to be treated like any other citizen and that, if there is evidence that they have committed a crime, arrest to do. "
Guyger, a four-year-old police veteran, was not charged Sunday morning, according to the online registers of the city of Dallas and Dallas County. The police department issued its name Saturday night, two nights after shooting and killing Jean.
Police Chief U. Renee Hall said the day after the shooting that his department was seeking involuntary manslaughter against Guyger. But she said Saturday that the Texas Rangers, who took charge of the investigation, asked her department to stop because they had learned new information and wanted to investigate further before issuing a warrant.
On Sunday morning, the police sent questions to the Rangers, who did not respond to phone messages asking for comments.
According to the police, Guyger shot and killed Jean after returning in uniform to the South Side Flats, where they both had apartments after his shift. She reported the shooting to the dispatchers and she told the officers who responded that she had confused Jean's apartment with his own.
Many questions remain as to what led Guyger to shoot Jean. Hall stated that the officer's blood had been taken from the scene so that he could test his alcohol and drugs. The investigators did not publish the results of these tests.
Jean's mother, Allison Jean, wondered if the race could be a factor. His son, who grew up in St. Lucia, a Caribbean island, before going to the University of Arkansas, is black. Guyger is white.
"If it was a white man, would it have been different? Would it have reacted differently?" Allison Jean said Friday.
Jean was not the first person shot by Guyger. She shot another man, Uvaldo Perez, on May 12, 2017, while she was on duty.
According to an affidavit in the case filed against Perez, the police were looking for a suspect when Guyger and another officer were called to help a third party. Perez came out of a car and became combative with Guyger and another officer. A fight began and Guyger pulled his Taser to Perez, who then ripped him off. She then fired her gun and fired, injuring Perez in the abdomen.
Guyger was not charged for the shoot of 2017.
Sgt. Mike Mata, who heads Dallas' largest police union, the Dallas Police Association, on Saturday called for an "open, transparent and comprehensive investigation into the event," reported the Dallas Morning News. as necessary, this officer should be held accountable in a Dallas County Court. "
Friends and family gathered Saturday at the West Dallas Church to remember Jean, who had been working for the PwC accounting firm since leaving Harding University. in Arkansas. They described John as a devout Christian and a talented singer.
"Botham did everything with passion," said Allison Jean at the prayer service. "God gave me an angel."
His uncle, Ignatius Jean, said the murder had devastated the family and left him looking for answers.
"You want to think that it's fiction … and you have to tackle the reality," he said.
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Associated Press author Ken Miller in Oklahoma City contributed to this report.
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