Witnesses’ accounts reportedly contradict the story a Dallas police officer gave investigators after shooting Botham Jean after allegedly walking into his apartment by mistake.
Jean’s family lawyer told the New York Daily News that they’ve received information regarding officer Amber Guyger’s statements to police following her arrest. The lawyer went on to describe Guyger’s account as “patently false.”
An affidavit stated that Guyger had just finished a 15-hour shift Thursday when she parked her car in the garage’s fourth floor instead of the third floor where she lived. According to the Dallas Morning News, Guyger claimed she placed the key with an electronic chip into the keyhole and, because the door was slightly open, the force she used completely opened the door.
Guyger reportedly said she entered the home and saw a “large silhouette” that made her believe her home was being burglarized. The report noted that Jean and Guyger’s apartments had floorplans that were nearly identical.
Police wrote that Guyger fired her gun twice after Jean, 26, apparently ignored verbal commands. Guyger called 911 and rendered first aid to Jean, who was shot in the torso and later died at the hospital, the newspaper reported.
According to the affidavit, Guyger didn’t realize she had walked into the wrong apartment until she turned the lights on amid the chaos.
Now, attorney Lee Merritt says he’s been in touch with two witnesses who claimed to have heard Guyger knock on the door before opening fire. Merritt revealed that one of the witnesses said they heard the officer telling someone to “let me in” moments before the fatal shooting.
Merritt also claimed that a witness heard Jean say, “Oh my God, why did you do that,” after the officer shot him. The attorney believes those were the 26-year-old’s last words.
Dallas County District Attorney Faith Johnson told the Daily News that the grand jury will be shown the case and could opt for more serious charges.
“We just want to know what happened to Botham,” the family attorney told the newspaper. “We haven’t been given a satisfactory answer to date.”
[Featured Image: Botham Jean/Facebook; Amber Guyger/Kaufman County Sheriff’s Office]