The City of Dallas recently released a heavily-redacted incident report of ex-officer Amber Guyger’s fatal shooting of her upstairs neighbor, Botham Jean.
KDFW made the open records request and noted that the provided document was “extremely small” compared to documents of its kind. They reported that incident reports are usually detailed but, in this case, all but the first four sentences were blacked out.
The station indicated that those four sentences contained “basic information” and notably redacted insight into whether ex-Dallas police officer Guyger, 30, was under the influence of drugs or alcohol when she shot Jean, 26, dead in his apartment. The incident report does state that Jean and Guyger were strangers.
City officials released the report a little more than a month after a grand jury indicted Guyger, 30, on murder charges for the September 6 deadly shooting. The Dallas Morning News claimed in late October that the district attorney’s office rebuffed their requests for the 911 Guyger placed on the night in question and Jean’s autopsy report.
It’s worth noting that the District Attorney Faith Johnson—who repeatedly faced backlash for her work on the Jean case—lost her re-election bid to retired judge John Creuzot. Creuzot will assume the role on January 1, though Johnson has expressed interest in still trying the Jean case despite her impending departure.
Guyger reportedly told police she had finished a 15-hour shift when she inadvertently parked her car on the fourth floor of her apartment building instead of the third floor where she lived. She allegedly said the door was slightly ajar when she placed the key with an electronic chip into the keyhole, causing the door to open further.
Documents indicated that Guyger, who is white, claimed she saw a “large silhouette” and gave verbal commands before opening fire, wounding Jean in his torso. The St. Lucia native died from his injuries at a hospital.
According to KDFW, the Texas Attorney General’s office maintained that releasing crucial information could jeopardize their case against the former officer. The city also provided the news station Guyger’s personnel file—which was also heavily redacted and only provided her name, badge number, and a salary of $4,300 a month.
Guyger remains free on bail as she awaits trial.
Additional reading:
Ex-cop charged in unarmed neighbor’s fatal shooting bailed out shortly after murder indictment
BREAKING: Ex-cop indicted on MURDER charge in fatal shooting of unarmed neighbor, Botham Jean
Female officer who shot & killed unarmed neighbor Botham Jean moves out of her apartment: Report
Botham Jean: Family says man fatally shot by officer ‘never’ left apartment door unlocked
Female cop kills black neighbor in his own apartment after she enters it by mistake, police say
[Featured Image: Botham Jean/Facebook; Amber Guyger/Kaufman County Sheriff’s Office]
