A police officer is facing charges after officials said she shot and killed one of her neighbors Thursday after she walked into the wrong apartment after work.
KDFW reported that the officer, identified as 30-year-old Amber Guyger, got home around 10 p.m., went into what she thought was her apartment and opened fire on Botham Shem Jean, 26. He was taken to a hospital, where he died, police said.
Update 11:15 p.m. EDT Sept 10: Dallas police used a "pepper ball gun" on protesters trying to disperse the crowds as demonstrators marched and chanted Monday night over the death of Botham Jean.
Also Monday, an attorney for Jean's family said a neighbor heard a man's voice directly after the gunshots saying, "Oh my God, why did you do that?" The neighbor believes those were Jean's last words, according to KTVT-TV.
Update 4:45 p.m. EDT Sept. 10: An arrest affidavit shows Amber Guyger said she shot neighbor, Botham Jean, when he ignored her "verbal commands" after she mistakenly entered his apartment Thursday night, The Associated Press reported.
The report written by an investigator and released Monday also said it wasn’t until Guyger, 30, had shot Jean, 26, that she realized she was in the wrong apartment and went into the hallway to check the address.
Update 12:40 p.m. EDT Sept. 10: Dallas County District Attorney Faith Johnson noted Monday that charges against Guyger are not final. It will be up to a grand jury to determine what final charges she faces, Johnson said at a news conference.
“The Texas Rangers made the decision to issue an arrest warrant for manslaughter,” Johnson said. “The ultimate decision in terms of what this charge will be will be presented to the grand jury.”
She warned that the case may not quickly get to a grand jury.
“We’re not going to jump the gun,” she said. “We’re going to make sure we have all our ducks in a row and we’re going to present the best case we can present to the grand jury of Dallas County.”
Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings said Monday that Guyger parked on the wrong floor of her apartment complex's parking garage, The Associated Press reported. Authorities said she had mistaken the apartment for her own.
Officials continue to investigate the incident.
Update 8:52 p.m. EDT Sept. 9: Officer Amber Guyger was arrested and charged with manslaughter Sunday, the Dallas Morning News reported.
Update 9:52 p.m. EDT Sept. 8: Officer Amber Guyger, a four-year veteran with the department, was identified Saturday evening as the person who fatally shot Jean, Dallas Police said.
Update 2:45 p.m. EDT Sept. 8: The Associated Press reported that Dallas police chief U. Renee Hall said an arrest warrant has not been issued for the off-duty officer who fatally shot Jean because the The Texas Ranger Division, which is conducting an independent investigation, asked her department to hold off. The Texas Rangers said they needed more time to investigate.
Update 5:58 a.m. EDT Sept. 8: Dallas police chief U. Renee Hall said an arrest warrant soon will be issued for the off-duty officer, who fatally shot Botham Shem Jean Thursday when she walked into the wrong apartment after work, WFAA reported.
Original report Sept. 7:
Jean, of Saint Lucia, worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers in Dallas, KDFW reports.
"This is a terrible tragedy," the company told KDFW in a statement. "We are simply heartbroken to hear of his death."
Neighbors at the apartment complex, which is about a block from police headquarters, were shocked.
"Super scary because the police are supposed to protect you and then they come home and, you know, you're just hanging out in your own house and then they come home thinking they're home or whatever. I don't know if she was tired but that's pretty scary," neighbor Richard Healy Nelson told KDFW.
The officer, who was not injured, is on administrative leave. Dallas police and the district attorney’s office are investigating.
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