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A Dallas police officer shot dead a neighbor in the man's apartment on Thursday night, claiming that he had taken his apartment for himself and that he was an intruder, the police said.
After completing her shift on Thursday, the officer went to her building opposite the Dallas Police Headquarters shortly before 10 pm. But the officer, who was still in police uniform, did not go to his unit and instead tried to enter the residence of a neighbor, Botham Shem Jean. She then shot at him, the authorities said.
Mr. Jean, 26, was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.
It was unclear how the officer, whose name was not released, was mistaken where she lived or why she opened fire.
Chief U. Renee Hall of the Dallas Police Department said the investigators were looking for a warrant for arrest to charge the officer with manslaughter. Chief Hall stated that it became clear early in the investigation that the case was not a standard shot involving officers.
"We were dealing with what appears to be a unique situation," Chief Hall said at a press conference Friday afternoon. "Right now, there are more questions than answers."
The police department has asked the Texas Rangers, the law enforcement agency, to take over the investigation.
Chief Hall said the officer was only questioned when other officers responded to Thursday night's shooting. While police officers took a blood sample to search for alcohol or drugs, the investigators were unable to question him further.
The leader identified the officer only as a patrol officer who was white, saying that the officer was not in detention and that she did not know where she was.
In the hours following the shooting, Mr. Jean was overwhelmed by grief in Saint Lucia, his home country in the Caribbean, and demanded that the officer be charged with death.
Mr. Jean was born in the Caribbean and then moved to the United States, where he graduated in 2016 at Harding University in Arkansas. He was active on campus and in student groups, including as a member of the Good News Singers, the university said Friday. With a strong and moving voice, Jean has often led the group in songs.
Bruce McLarty, president of the university, On Friday, he recalled that he had asked Mr. Jean in 2014 to sing a hymn during a major event in Harding, associated with the Churches of Christ. Mr. Jean accepted but later admitted to saying yes without really knowing the song.
"He reminded Saint Lucia and asked his grandmother to teach him that old song on the phone," said Dr. McLarty in a statement. "He shared it with us at the Lectureship that night and it was a really special moment."
Mr. Jean moved to Dallas after college. After an internship with the accounting firm PwC, formerly known as PricewaterhouseCoopers, he joined the full-time company in July 2016 in his Dallas office, the company said. He was currently an experienced risk insurance partner.
"It's a terrible tragedy," said a PwC spokesperson in an email. "We are just sorry to hear about his death.
Mr. Jean was a member of a prominent family in St. Lucia. His mother, Allison Jean, was a senior official from the Ministry of Education, Innovation, Gender and Sustainable Development of Saint Lucia. A family friend said that Ms. Jean could not comment on Friday because she was receiving chemotherapy treatment.
One of Mr. Jean's uncles is the general manager of a regional water service in St. Lucia. Another uncle, Earl Jean, played professional football in Europe and the national team of the island.
"How can this mean world get you away from me," Earl Jean wrote on Facebook on Friday. "It's the worst day of my life right now."
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