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A black woman was shot and killed by a white police officer in her Fort Worth, Texas home after a neighbor called dispatchers to report the woman's front door was open, police said.
The officers were searching the perimeter of the woman's home when they saw a person standing near a window inside and one of them opened fire, killing her, Fort Worth police said.
The Tarrant County Medical Examiner identified the woman killed as 28-year-old Atatiana Koquice Jefferson. She died at 2:30 a.m. Saturday in the bedroom of her home.
Hours after the shooting, police released a heavily edited version of the officer's body camera footage. The nearly 2-minute video shows officers walking outside the home with flashlights for a few minutes before one of them yells, "Put your hands up! Show me your hands!" and shoots his weapon through a window.
...
James Smith, Jefferson's neighbor, told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram he called a non-emergency police number when he saw her doors open and lights on in the early morning hours. He said he knew Jefferson was home with her nephew.
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The officer who shot her was identified by police only as a white male who has been on the force for about 18 months. Police also released a photo of a gun found in the home.
Lawyer S. Lee Merritt, who represents the families of Jean and of Jefferson, said Jefferson had been playing video games with a nephew before Saturday's shooting.
He said police had provided no connection between the gun found inside the home and the shooting.
originally posted by: roadgravelThe officer who shot her was identified by police only as a white male who has been on the force for about 18 months. Police also released a photo of a gun found in the home.
originally posted by: RoScoLaz5
originally posted by: roadgravelThe officer who shot her was identified by police only as a white male who has been on the force for about 18 months. Police also released a photo of a gun found in the home.
getting in a bit of implied justification right from the off.
originally posted by: roadgravel
a reply to: ganjoa
The troubling part to me is if this is deemed OK then it means police can shoot anyone through a window with no ramifications.
originally posted by: RoScoLaz5
originally posted by: roadgravelThe officer who shot her was identified by police only as a white male who has been on the force for about 18 months. Police also released a photo of a gun found in the home.
getting in a bit of implied justification right from the off.
originally posted by: ganjoa
Highly doubt any criminal charges in this case, unlike Dallas.
Officer should lose badge & be dismissed for bad judgement and improper firearm use.
No rush to judgement here, just my take on likely outcome. Unless of course there's more to the story.
ganjoa
Manslaughter is an unlawful killing that doesn't involve malice aforethought—intent to seriously harm or kill, or extreme, reckless disregard for life. The absence of malice aforethought means that manslaughter involves less moral blame than either first or second degree murder.
originally posted by: Shamrock6
originally posted by: RoScoLaz5
originally posted by: roadgravelThe officer who shot her was identified by police only as a white male who has been on the force for about 18 months. Police also released a photo of a gun found in the home.
getting in a bit of implied justification right from the off.
That’s exactly how it looks to me. And they only released still shots of the gun, so we have no idea where it was found and where it was in relation to the resident.
But beyond that, the call came in that the door is open, both vehicles are there. It’s not at all unreasonable to think the homeowner may be home, and it’s not at all unreasonable to think the homeowner may notice flashlights flashing around their house, and going to investigate it.
Short of coming around the corner to find a gun leveled at his face, I can’t see any reason for an officer to move from verbal commands to lethal force so quickly in this situation. One can presume he did not come nose-to-barrel with a gun, judging by the commands he gave.
Absolutely mind boggling.
originally posted by: Krakatoa
originally posted by: Shamrock6
originally posted by: RoScoLaz5
originally posted by: roadgravelThe officer who shot her was identified by police only as a white male who has been on the force for about 18 months. Police also released a photo of a gun found in the home.
getting in a bit of implied justification right from the off.
That’s exactly how it looks to me. And they only released still shots of the gun, so we have no idea where it was found and where it was in relation to the resident.
But beyond that, the call came in that the door is open, both vehicles are there. It’s not at all unreasonable to think the homeowner may be home, and it’s not at all unreasonable to think the homeowner may notice flashlights flashing around their house, and going to investigate it.
Short of coming around the corner to find a gun leveled at his face, I can’t see any reason for an officer to move from verbal commands to lethal force so quickly in this situation. One can presume he did not come nose-to-barrel with a gun, judging by the commands he gave.
Absolutely mind boggling.
The call was classified as a "Welfare Check". Isn't SOP in that case approach the front door (with caution as always), ring or knock on the door, identify themselves as police called out to check on the welfare of the resident, all done first before entering to actually DO the check?
What kind of SOP does this dept have where they surround a house, at night, inspect with flashlights, with sidearms drawn? Seriously?
originally posted by: KansasGirl
originally posted by: RoScoLaz5
originally posted by: roadgravelThe officer who shot her was identified by police only as a white male who has been on the force for about 18 months. Police also released a photo of a gun found in the home.
getting in a bit of implied justification right from the off.
Cleatly the officer was wrong to kill this woman from her front yard, but the idiot media with their race baiting is deplorable. Why else mention the race of each? If it were reversed, would they specify that? "The white woman was shot by a black male officer." They would never print that.
originally posted by: Shamrock6
a reply to: Krakatoa
As far as I’m aware it was dispatched as an “open structure call.” Essentially that means “this building is unsecured, that’s unusual, find out why it’s unsecured.” That also means it could be anything from somebody is in the middle of carrying groceries into their home to somebody is in the house that isn’t supposed to be.
Even on a welfare check it’s not uncommon to look in windows before announcing. With an unknown cause, it probably isn’t the best idea to announce at the front door before checking out the rest of the house.