The AP reports that a grand jury began hearing evidence on Monday in the case of Amber Guyger, the former Dallas police officer who fatally shot Botham Jean, 26, on September 6 in his own home.
Jean, who was black, was a 2016 graduate of Harding University who worked for the consulting firm PwC in Dallas.
The story has many strange elements. Guyger, who is white, said she thought she was entering her own apartment in the same complex when she mistakenly entered Jean’s apartment. She said that she thought he was a burglar; she shot and killed him. It took nearly 48 hours for Dallas police to identify Guyger as the officer who shot Jean, and longer still to charge her with manslaughter.
From a front-page New York Times article on the case, here’s a roundup of the conflicting accounts of the evening:
The officer told investigators the door was slightly ajar and then fully opened when she inserted her computerized chip key; lawyers for Mr. Jean’s family said the door was closed. Officer Guyger said in court documents that when she opened the door, the apartment was dark and she saw a silhouette of someone she thought was a burglar. She said she shouted commands that were ignored. Neighbors, however, have told lawyers for Mr. Jean’s relatives that they heard someone banging on the door and shouting, “Let me in!” and “Open up!” before gunshots rang out. They said they then heard a man, presumably Mr. Jean, say, “Oh my God, why did you do that?”
The grand jury will decide whether to indict Guyger, and could potentially decide on a more serious charge than the current manslaughter charge.