Yahoo News 'Is this OK?' Former policewoman who shot dead black neighbour is hugged by victim's brother as she's jailed
A former police officer who shot dead her black neighbour in his apartment was embraced by his brother as she was jailed for 10 years for his murder.
Amber Guyger said she thought she was in her own apartment when she shot Botham Jean in his living room as he ate a bowl of ice cream in September 2018.
The former Dallas police officer had got back from a night shift and parked on the wrong floor, mistaking Mr Jean’s apartment for her own - which was directly below.
As 31-year-old Guyger was jailed for 10 years after being found guilty of murder, Mr Jean’s brother Brandt Jean addressed her from the witness stand, saying: “I love you as a person. I don’t wish anything bad on you,” adding, “I don’t know if this is possible, but can I give her a hug?”
The pair embraced before Guyger was led from the courtroom.
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Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson issued a statement saying he was “deeply moved” and would “never, ever forget the incredible examples of love, faith and strength personified by Botham, Brandt and the entire Jean family”.
Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot called Brandt Jean’s embrace of Guyger an “an amazing act of healing and forgiveness that is rare in today’s society … especially for many of our leaders”.
He said if 18-year-old Brandt Jean “can heal and express healing in that fashion, in his words and in his deeds, I would hope that the greater community, not just Dallas but all of Texas and all of the United States, could gain a message from that”.
But some people outside the courtroom reacted angrily to the sentence, believing it was too lenient.
The court heard how Mr Jean’s death had left his family devastated.
His father Bertrum Jean said his son’s death had upended his life back in St Lucia.
Mr Jean’s mother, Allison Jean, criticised the investigation into her son’s death and the police training to shoot to kill.
She said if Guyger hadn’t been trained to shoot in the heart, her son would still be alive, telling reporters: “He was no threat to her. He had no reason to be a threat to her, because he was in his own apartment”.
The court heard that Guyger shot Mr Jean thinking he was a burglar in her apartment - when actually she was in his.
In the 911 call played during the trial, she said “I thought it was my apartment” nearly 20 times.
Her lawyers argued that the identical physical appearance of the apartment complex from floor to floor frequently led to tenants going to the wrong apartments.
But prosecutors questioned how Guyger could have missed several signs that she was in the wrong place.
