Responsible for entering the wrong apartment and fatally shooting her upstairs neighbor, Dallas police officer Amber Guyger was fired Monday after being charged with manslaughter. According to Dallas Police Chief Ulysha Renee Hall, Guyger was terminated after an internal investigation found the officer had engaged in “adverse conduct” during her arrest.
Shortly before 10 p.m. on September 6, Guyger parked on the wrong floor of her apartment complex and mistakenly entered her neighbor’s apartment, which was occupied by 26-year-old Botham Jean. According to Guyger, the off-duty officer erroneously believed Jean had broken into her apartment when she abruptly shot him to death.
Placed on administrative leave pending an investigation into the shooting, Guyger was arrested three days later and charged with manslaughter. Despite the fact that Chief Hall refused to terminate Guyger last week, the Dallas Police Department released a statement on Monday announcing that Hall had fired Guyger.
On Monday morning, the Dallas Police Department issued the following statement: “Dallas Police Chief U. Renee Hall terminated Police Officer Amber Guyger, #10702, during a hearing held September 24, 2018.
“An Internal Affairs investigation concluded that on September 9, 2018, Officer Guyger, #10702, engaged in adverse conduct when she was arrested for Manslaughter.
“Officer Guyger was terminated for her actions. She was hired in November 2013 and was assigned to the Southeast Patrol Division.
“Under civil service rules, Officer Guyger has the right to appeal her discipline.”
“I have heard the calls for this action from many, including the Jean family, and I agree that this is right decision in the interest of justice for Botham Jean and the citizens of Dallas,” Mayor Mike Rawlings wrote in a recent statement. “The swift termination of any officer who engages in misconduct that leads to the loss of innocent life is essential if the Dallas Police Department is to gain and maintain the public trust.”
In a recent interview, Lee Merritt, an attorney for Jean’s family, told The Dallas Morning News, “When you fire someone, it’s an implicit admission that what they did is wrongful. The inference is hard to miss.”
According to Merritt, Jean’s family was satisfied with the termination, but they will continue to fight for a murder charge and appropriate sentencing. Guyger remains free on a $300,000 bond while awaiting trial.
A grand jury will decide whether to indict Guyger for manslaughter or other criminal charges.
COMMENTS