On November 20, 2024, a federal civil trial awarded almost $100 million to the family of a man shot dead by a Dallas police officer who claimed she mistakenly thought his apartment was her own.
Following a three-day trial, the jury concluded that former officer Amber Guyger had violated Botham Jean’s constitutional rights and used excessive force in his 2018 death. The jury found her guilty and awarded her $98.65 million.
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The legal team representing Jean’s family released a statement, “This verdict stands as a powerful testament to Botham’s life and the profound injustice of his death.”
It added, “This case laid bare critical issues of racial bias and police accountability that cannot be ignored. Today’s verdict sends a clear message that law enforcement officers who commit crimes cannot be insulated from the consequences of their actions.”
After a hard workday, Guyger claimed to have went to Jean’s apartment on the fourth level, immediately above hers on the third, and discovered the door unlocked. She said that when she pulled out her revolver and walked into the apartment, she believed it to be her own.
Guyger shot Jean, an accountant from the Caribbean island country of St Lucia, as he entered his flat as he was enjoying a dish of ice cream.
Guyger was eventually convicted guilty of murder, given a 10-year jail term, and dismissed from the Dallas Police Department. Media sites claimed earlier this autumn that she was refused parole.
The facts surrounding the shooting and the fact that it was one of several shootings of Black individuals by white police officers attracted a lot of attention.
According to The Dallas Morning News, Jean’s family’s lawyers wanted the jury to convey during closing arguments that people in Dallas County “are going to be safe in our homes.”
The family claimed that Guyger’s waiver of her right to take part in the trial demonstrated a lack of responsibility for her acts.
