A White police officer, who claimed she shot and killed a Black man in his apartment because she thought it was her home, was indicted by a Texas grand jury on Friday, CNN reports.
Amber Guyger, 30, was charged with one count of murder, according to court records. A manslaughter charge was also entered into her file, but a Dallas County clerk confirmed with CNN that prosecutors are only pursuing the murder charge.
Police have said that on the evening of Sept. 6 Guyger arrived at the apartment, thinking it was her own, after work and noticed that the door was slightly ajar when she tried to use her key. She claimed that upon entering the dark apartment, she saw a silhouette of 26-year-old Botham Jean and drew her gun.
Jean, who was unarmed, reportedly did not heed Guyger’s warnings, presumably because he was in his own home, and was shot twice in the torso by the officer. The four year veteran of the Dallas Police Department claimed that she didn’t realize she was in the wrong apartment until she turned on the lights while on the phone with a 911 operator, who asked her to confirm her address, she told cops, per CNN.
A neighbor disputed Guyger’s claim that the door was open and heard her say “Let me in, let me in” before gunshots rang out, according to the Daily Mail.
A few days after the incident, she was arrested on suspicion on manslaughter. The Dallas Police Department later fired her on Sept. 24.
Jean’s death sparked protests over the delay in Guyger’s arrest and in the lack of information that officials were giving to the public.
His family sued Guyger in October saying that she used excessive force and violated Jean’s civil rights, according to the New York Times.
Hundreds of people attended Jean’s funeral in Richardson, Texas, where he was described as “faithful” and someone who’s smile “lit up a room.” He was buried in his native country of St. Lucia on Sept. 24.
