A federal jury has ordered former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger to pay nearly $100 million in damages to the family of Botham Jean, a 26-year-old Black man she fatally shot after entering the wrong apartment in 2018. The jury concluded that Guyger, who is serving a 10-year prison sentence for murder, used excessive force and violated Jean's constitutional rights. The $98.6 million judgment, awarded to Jean's estate and his parents, Allison and Bertrum Jean, closes a three-day civil trial in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas.
"While no result can bring Botham Jean back to his family, we are proud to provide them with some semblance of justice today," said Bhavani Raveendran, the Jean family's attorney.
Guyger did not participate in the civil trial and represented herself in the case starting in 2022. Her criminal defense attorney, Toby Shook, stated that she "prays for the family every day" and expressed hope that the verdict brings them peace. Shook added that Guyger is "destitute" and unable to pay the substantial sum.
The fatal shooting occurred on September 6, 2018, after Guyger mistakenly entered Jean's apartment, believing it was her own. Allegedly distracted by explicit text messages from a colleague, she walked into Jean's unit, which was directly above hers, and saw him eating ice cream in his living room. Still in her police uniform after a 14-hour shift, she fired her weapon twice, killing him.
Jean's death sparked national outrage amid growing scrutiny of police violence against Black individuals. During Guyger's criminal trial, jurors were controversially allowed to consider the "castle doctrine," typically used to justify self-defense in one's own home, though it did not ultimately clear her of wrongdoing.
At a news conference, Allison Jean reflected on the verdict. "I cannot feel it in monetary terms because I know how precious he was to me," she said. "But it sends a signal to the world that his life mattered."
Link: Washington Post