A federal jury awarded $98, 650,000 in damages to the family and estate of Botham Jean, who was killed by former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger in his apartment in 2018.
Jurors found that Guyger used excessive force in shooting and killing Jean, a 26-year-old accountant and Guyger’s upstairs neighbor, when Guyger said she mistakenly went into his apartment and mistook him for an intruder.
The jury also found that Guyger was acting in her capacity as an officer when she shot Jean and violated his constitutional rights by unreasonably using deadly force.
The jury awarded $$$ to Jean’s estate for his pain, loss of life and earnings, $$$ for his mother’s loss, $$$ for his father’s loss and $$$ in punitive damages against Guyger.
Over the course of the three-day trial, the jury heard testimony from experts to bolster the plaintiffs’ case that Guyger was unreasonable in use of force.
Guyger was convicted of murder in 2019 and is currently serving her 10-year sentence at a state prison in Gatesville. She has no attorney in the case and waived her right to be present at trial.
Plaintiffs attorney Daryl Washington called it an “insult” for Guyger to choose not to be present.
Guyger said “I thought it was my apartment” 19 times during the 911 call — but what she didn’t say was that Jean had a gun or was charging at her, Washington told jurors. He said Guyger changed her story after she got an attorney. She testified at the criminal trial that Jean charged at her when she entered his apartment, and she ordered him to put his hands up before shooting.
Guyger and another Dallas police officer testified that the Dallas Police Department’s general orders state that officers are always on the job, which attorneys said showed that Guyger was acting in her professional capacity when she shot Jean. And according to testimony from crime scene expert Michael Maloney, Jean likely did not pose a threat to Guyger in the way she described — based on the scene and his autopsy, Jean was likely getting up from his couch when he was shot.
“Botham did nothing that would’ve justified Amber’s use of force,” Washington said.
Jean was a Harding University graduate born in St. Lucia. He worked as an accountant for PricewaterhouseCoopers, and his pastor Sammie Berry testified that Jean had hopes of becoming a partner at the firm.
Jean’s family remembered him as dedicated to his faith, full of joy and love for others.
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