A Dallas Police Officer, named Amber Guyger, has been arrested for the fatal shooting of Botham Shem Jean, a 26-year old black man, whose home she intruded and then confused it for her own. Botham Shem Jean was unarmed.
Guyger (who is white) was arrested for manslaughter and was being held at Kaufman County Jail before she was released on Sunday night after posting her $300,000 bail. She was off-duty on Sunday night when she mistook her home for her neighbors and shot him dead. She told police she thought he was an intruder. Officials announced that Guyger’s blood is being tested for drugs but the results are yet to be released.
The Dallas Police Department has handed the case over to the Texas Rangers, the state’s top law enforcement agency, in order to “eliminate the appearance of any potential bias.”
Jean earned a Bachelor’s Degree from Harding University and worked as a "risk assurance experienced associate" at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Dallas. PwC has released a statement: “This is a terrible tragedy. Botham Jean was a member of the PwC family in our Dallas office and we are simply heartbroken to hear of his death.”
CBS11 reported from Jean’s vigil as his mother, Allison Jean, spoke about her son. “Botham loved God. Botham loved you," she said. "Botham loved mankind. Botham never saw color, race. Botham wanted all of us to unite.”