White police officer who shot black woman through her home window resigns

Atatiana Jefferson's family says local police 'can't be trusted'

The white police officer who shot and killed a black woman in Fort Worth, Texas while she was playing with her nephew inside her own home has resigned from the department and may face federal civil rights charges.

Ed Kraus, interim chief of Fort Worth Police Department, said he had planned to fire the officer for violations to the department’s use of force and deescalation policies, as well as unprofessional conduct, following the killing of Atatiana Jefferson, whom the officer shot through a window into her home.

The officer — identified as Aaron Dean — had been on the force for 17 months. He was hired in August 2017. He was issued an administrative complaint and stripped of his badge and firearm before he resigned.

Mr Kraus said he sent a preliminary report to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for a possible civil rights investigation and is recording Mr Dean's departure as a dishonourable discharge.

The department is co-ordinating two separate but concurrent investigations, one through the department’s major case unit and another through the internal affairs unit.

David Cooke, Forth Worth city manager, said he would begin reviewing candidates to operate a city-run office to investigate police misconduct and other issues next month. Civil rights groups had recommended the city hire a third-party monitor, and officials approved the position in its latest city budget. Mr Cooke said a third-party group of national experts will determine that position’s best practices as the monitor enters office.

Forth Worth mayor Besty Priece said the “entire city is in pain” following the death of Ms Jefferson, who was shot through a window while she was inside her own home on Saturday morning.

Mayor Price apologised to Ms Jefferson’s family and neighbours and said there was “nothing to justify what happened”.

In the early morning hours of 13 October, a neighbour called a non-emergency line to request a check after he had noticed that lights were on and a front door was open at his neighbour's home, where Ms Jefferson’s elderly mother lived.

Ms Jefferson had moved into the home to take care of her mother, who was recently moved to a hospital.

Officers arrived on the property within minutes after the call. Ms Jefferson was playing a video game with her eight-year-old nephew.

The killing was captured on Mr Dean’s body-worn camera, which shows his flashlight moving in the dark to the home’s window before he fires.

Mr Dean does not identify himself to Ms Jefferson when he screams for her to "put your hands up" and “show me your hands”. While in the middle of saying "show me" for the second time, he fires through the window.

In a press conference on Monday morning, family attorney Lee Merrit said police arrived on the property as if they were performing a “clandestine” operation, despite the neighbour's phone call never indicating that there was a threat to his life or a danger to the community.

Mr Merritt said: "To escalate that situation as they entered the property, that is unacceptable."

Following the shooting, the police department issued a statement that said the officer had "perceived a threat". Mr Merritt argues the department's officers had "violated their training over and over again."

Mr Merritt said Ms Jefferson had opened the doors to let in a cool breeze, the first of the season following a hot summer. While playing a Call of Duty video game, she approached the window when she heard noises outside.

Bodycam footage provided by police ends after the shot is fired.

Mr Merritt said he "would love to hear the conversation from other officers" who were present at the scene who likely knew that what had happened was wrong. "This a problematic police department."

Reports following the shooting said a gun was recovered inside the home. Mayor Price said “the gun is irrelevant. She was in her own home.”

“Mere words are not enough”, she said. “We are taking immediate action.”

The family said the department, as well as the city, can’t be trusted in their ability to investigate Ms Jefferson’s killing.

At least seven people have been shot by Fort Worth police since June, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

“This family is outraged and hurt”, Mr Merritt said. “We ask people who are outraged to channel their anger and direct it to policymakers and substantive changes.”

On Sunday night, hundreds of people gathered outside the home for a vigil honouring Ms Jefferson, a biology graduate of Xavier University who was considering enrolling in medical school.

Present at the vigil were local church and city leaders, including Mayor Price, who told reporters that she intends to hire an outside agency to investigate the shooting.

The killing follows the recent sentencing of a white police officer in Dallas who killed Botham Jean, a black man, while he was in his own apartment.

In September 2018, Amber Guyger fatally shot Mr Jean, who she claimed she mistakenly believed was in her apartment when she was on the wrong floor of the building they shared. This month, Guyger was convicted of murder and sentenced to 10 years in prison, a rare conviction among a streak of high-profile killings of African-Americans by police