Reports on the use of pepper spray projectiles relate to the Dallas chef

DALLAS – The Dallas police chief said on Tuesday that she had asked for a full review and was considering meeting with the protest leaders after learning that the police used gun shots at a demonstration on the death. of a black man.

Chief U. Renee Hall said in a statement that projectiles, known as pepper balls and usually containing the pepper spray chemical, should only be used if the public is threatened or if an on-site commander calls them. use. The projectiles irritate the nose and the eyes.

Hall said she wanted to meet with protest leaders to "address their concerns."

Monday's protest took place the day after the arrest of a white police officer from Dallas, Amber Guyger, for manslaughter in the death of his neighbor, Botham Jean, 26 years old. Authorities said Guyger said he confused Jean 's apartment with him when she shot him last week. She was released on bail.

Protesters gathered in front of the Dallas Police Headquarters and dozens of people blocked traffic as they moved about one kilometer. According to the press, at one point the police used pepper shots to control the crowd.

Jean grew up in St. Lucia, a Caribbean island, before continuing his university education in Arkansas. He graduated from Harding University in 2016 and worked for the PwC accounting firm.

The lawyers for Jean's family criticized the officer's account of the shootings, claiming that he contradicted the neighbors' statements.

The agent's description of what happened was included in a written statement prepared by a Texas Ranger and published Monday, shortly after the prosecutor announced that the case would be presented to a grand jury that could bring more serious charges.

Benjamin Crump, a lawyer from Jean's family, said Monday that the affidavit was "very interested". Lee Merritt, who also represents the family, called the attempt "to tolerate what happened, to take a break."

Guyger, a four-year veteran of the police, told investigators that she had just finished her 15-hour shift Thursday when she returned in uniform in the South's apartment complex. Side Flats. According to the affidavit, she parked on the fourth floor instead of the third, perhaps suggesting she was confused or disoriented.

When she put her key in the door of the apartment, which was unlocked and slightly ajar, she opened, said the affidavit. Inside, the lights were out and she saw a silhouette in the darkness that projected a tall figure across the room, according to the officer's account.

The officer told the police that she had concluded that her apartment was burgled and gave verbal orders to the figure, which ignored them. She then fired her gun and fired twice, the affidavit said.

She called 911 and, when asked where she was, she went back to the front door to see that she was in the wrong unit, according to the lnst. affidavit. The authorities have not released the 911 tapes.

The Dallas County Medical Examiner's Office stated that Jean had died from a gunshot wound in his chest. His death was found to be homicidal.

Merritt said Monday that two independent witnesses told him that he had knocked on the front door before firing. He said that one witness reported hearing a woman's voice saying, "Let me in! Let me in!" Then they heard gunshots, after which a witness said to have heard a man's voice say, "Oh my God, why did you do that?"

Merritt said that he believed it was Jean's last words.

Dallas County District Attorney Faith Johnson said her office was conducting its own investigation, in addition to the Texas Rangers' investigation. She will have the opportunity to make more serious charges to the grand jury.

It is not known if Guyger has a lawyer.

Guyger's blood was taken from the scene to be tested for alcohol and drugs, according to Hall, but the authorities have not released any results.