Brother of black man shot dead on his sofa by white police officer hugs and forgives her as she is jailed for 10 years

Brandt Jean tells Amber Guyger he ‘wants the best’ for her, as that’s what his brother would have wanted

The brother of an unarmed black man who was murdered in his home by an off duty white police officer, said he forgave the shooter and asked a judge if he could hug her before she was sent down to serve a 10-year sentence for murder.

Botham Jean, 27, was unarmed and sitting the sofa eating icecream, when he was gunned down by Amber Guyger in his flat in the Texan city of Dallas.

Guyger claimed in court that she had inadvertently entered Jean’s flat believing it to be her own.

The police officer who was sacked from the city's police force ahead of the trial, testified that upon returning home in-uniform after a long shift that night, she put her key into what she thought was her door lock and the door opened because it hadn’t been fully closed.

Fearing it was a break-in, she said she drew her service weapon and stepped inside to find a silhouetted figure standing in the dark. Then she opened fire.

In a victim impact statement after the sentence, Jean’s 18-year-old brother Brandt Jean, addressed Guyger and said he forgave her and that he loved her as he would any other person.

He then asked the judge for permission to hug Guyger, and the two embraced as Guyger sobbed.

“I’m not going to say I hope you rot and die, just like my brother, I personally want the best for you,” Mr Jean told the Dallas County Court. “I wasn’t going to say this in front of my family or anyone, but I don’t even want you to go to jail. I want the best for you, because I know that’s exactly what Botham would want.”

The judge presiding over the case, Tammy Kemp, also came down from the bench, spoke with Jean's family members and embraced them.

Handing Guyger a Bible, she also embraced the killer.

Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot said Mr Jean’s gesture in front of the court was “an amazing act of healing and forgiveness that’s rare in today’s society”.

He told a news conference after the trial: “In 37 years, I’m trying to go back in my memory bank to see if I’ve ever seen anything like that and I don’t think I have. That man is 18, and he’s a leader. He should guide us in healing.”

Guyger was seen sobbing during her testimony, the first time she spoke about the shooting since Jean’s death generated national media attention and outcry.

His death prompted mass protests nationwide, as activists demanded justice for the killing of an unarmed black man in his own home.

Guyger told the court through tears: “I hate that I have to live with this every single day of my life and I ask God for forgiveness, and I hate myself every single day. I never wanted to take an innocent person’s life,” she said. “And I’m so sorry. This is not about hate. It’s about being scared that night.”

She will be eligible for parole after serving five years in prison.