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A lawyer from Botham Shem Jean's family said that there was sufficient evidence to charge a Dallas police officer who, according to authorities, mistakenly entered Jean's apartment and l & # 39; 39, killed.
Amber Guyger's appeals for arrest intensified over the weekend as investigators delayed obtaining a warrant for charges against charges. 39, manslaughter. Dallas Police Chief Renee Hall said the investigators needed more time to decipher what they described as an unusual case of shooting by an officer. The Texas Ranger Division, a separate agency charged with investigating the case, had requested that the warrant be postponed.
The shooting has raised questions as to whether Guyger, who is white, used lethal force against Jean, a naturalized American citizen of the Caribbean island of St. Lucia, because he is black.
Jean, 26, was shot dead in his unit Thursday night in a building near downtown Dallas. Police said that Guyger, still in uniform after a shift, had entered Jean's apartment, believing it was his. The police did not say what had happened, except to say that Guyger had fired his gun. She called 911 and John died in a hospital.
Allison Jean kisses his son's friends after a prayer vigil for Botham Shem Jean at the Dallas West Church on September 8, 2018. He was shot dead by a police officer in his own apartment on Thursday night. (Shaban Athuman / Dallas Morning News / AP)
Dallas Civil Rights Lawyer, Lee Merritt, said that based on his conversations with officials, including Hall, there was enough evidence to stop Guyger suspected of manslaughter. Merritt said he asked investigators in the Texas Rangers division whether the postponement meant that there was no probable cause to stop Guyger.
"They said" not necessarily "and that they just wanted more evidence," Merritt told the Washington Post.
This delay frustrated family members in mourning for Jean and raised questions about the treatment of police officers.
"In all normal cases where there is a probable cause. . . you make an arrest, "said Merritt. "When law enforcement [is under investigation]for some reason, we do not use the normal protocol to deal with criminal activities.
Merritt said that Jean and the officer did not know each other. The officer's apartment was directly under Jean's, he said.
Jean's mother, Allison, a former government official in St. Lucia, called the news of his death a "nightmare."
"I have to look in her eyes and ask her why she did that to my son," said Allison Jean. told NBC News. "Botham wants me to do him justice. The state must pay for my son.
[A police officer walked into a man’s home — mistaking it for her own — and killed him, police say]
Guyger, who has been working in the police department for four years, was put on administrative leave. She was not hurt. The officials did not explain why she thought Jean's apartment was his or what his mental or physical state was at the time. A blood sample was taken for alcohol and drug testing.
A spokeswoman for the police addressed questions to the Texas Ranger Division. The Texas Department of Public Safety, which oversees the Rangers Division, did not respond to a request for comment.
Saturday at a criminal justice panel, Hall promised that the police service would be transparent. She said her agency was in the process of obtaining an arrest warrant last week but that after the Texas Ranger division questioned Guyger, the investigators asked for more time to review the information provided by the police officer.
Jean's death renewed calls for police reform and brought to light a police department that just two years ago had lost five of its officers at a police station. shooting. One armed man who "said he wanted to kill whites, especially white officers" opened fire in July 2016 in the midst of what would have been a peaceful demonstration following the police shootings.
Hall said she was not sure if the race was a factor in John's death and asked the public for patience while the investigators did their job.
Civil Rights Lawyer, Lee Merritt, talks with reporters after a prayer vigil for Botham Shem Jean on Sept. 8, 2018 in Dallas. Jean was shot dead by an officer in his apartment on Thursday night. (Shaban Athuman / Dallas Morning News / AP)
"There is so much talk about this incident. We have a lot of unanswered questions, "said Hall. "Let us get to the bottom of the answers we could give you and move on to the discussion."
"I have to believe that, on the basis of her experience, her decision was influenced by the fact that she was standing in front of a black man and that our society allowed the police forces situations against black men in impunity, "he said.
[Baltimore police officer resigns after viral video of him pummeling a man who was not fighting back]
John moved from St. Lucia to Arkansas, said Merritt. He graduated in 2016 from Harding University, a private Christian school in Searcy, Arkansas, where he was a member of an a cappella group that performs spiritual songs for churches. Jean has often led songs at the university chapel and at campus events.
"The whole Harding family today laments the loss of Jean Botham, who has been of great importance to us," university officials said.
Bruce McLarty, president of the university, said he asked Jean to direct the singing of an old hymn unknown. Jean was excited to sing, even though he had not heard of the song. The day he had to play it, McLarty remembers, John telephoned his grandmother in St. Lucia and she taught him the song over the phone.
"He shared it with us. . . It was a really special moment, "said McLarty.
Jean was an accountant at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Dallas, an international company specializing in insurance, tax and consulting for companies around the world.
"It's a terrible tragedy," the company said in a statement. "Jean Botham was a member of the PwC family in our Dallas office, and we are just sorry to hear of his death."
Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings said on Saturday that he spoke to Jean's family and the Prime Minister of Saint Lucia to apologize for the young man's death.
According to Rawlings, "it's exactly the type of citizen we want to have in the city of Dallas."
Dallas Police Chief Renée Hall and Senator Royce West (D) listen to people asking questions about Botham Shem Jean on September 8, 2018 at Paul Quinn College. (Shaban Athuman / Dallas Morning News / AP)
Lindsey Bever and Taylor Telford contributed to this report.
Read more:
A man was shot dead by the police. A jury gave his family $ 4.
Five Dallas policemen killed by one attacker, authorities say
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