Killing of Atatiana Jefferson
Part of police brutality in the United States
Location of Fort Worth within Tarrant County and within Texas
Fort Worth is located in Texas
Fort Worth
Fort Worth
Fort Worth (Texas)
Fort Worth is located in the United States
Fort Worth
Fort Worth
Fort Worth (the United States)
LocationFort Worth, Texas, U.S.
DateOctober 12, 2019 (2019-10-12)
c. 2:30 a.m. (MDT)
Attack type
Homicide by shooting, police brutality, manslaughter
Filmed byPolice body-worn camera
WeaponHandgun
VictimAtatiana Koquice Jefferson, aged 28
PerpetratorAaron Dean
VerdictGuilty on the lesser included offense of manslaughter
ConvictionsManslaughter
ChargesMurder
Sentence11 years, 10 months, and 12 days in prison

Atatiana Koquice Jefferson, a 28-year-old woman, was fatally shot inside her home by a police officer in Fort Worth, Texas, United States, in the early morning of October 12, 2019.[1][2] Police arrived at her home after a neighbor called a non-emergency number, stating that Jefferson's front door was open.[2] Police body camera footage showed officers walking outside the home with flashlights for a few minutes then one officer yells, "Put your hands up! Show me your hands!", while discharging his weapon through a window.[2] Police found a handgun near Jefferson's body, which according to her eight-year-old nephew, she was pointing toward the window before being shot.[3][2][4] On October 14, 2019, Officer Aaron Dean, the shooter, resigned from the Fort Worth Police Department and was arrested on a murder charge.[5][6] On December 20, 2019, Dean was indicted for murder.[7][8] Jefferson was black and the officer who shot her is white, prompting news outlets to compare Jefferson's shooting to the September 2018 murder of Botham Jean in nearby Dallas.[1][5][9][10][11]

On December 15, 2022, Dean was found guilty on the lesser offense of manslaughter.[12] He was sentenced to 11 years, 10 months, and 12 days of imprisonment.[13]

People involved

Atatiana Jefferson

Atatiana Koquice Jefferson (November 28, 1990 – October 12, 2019) was a 28-year-old African American woman and pre-medical graduate student of Xavier University of Louisiana from where she graduated in 2014.[14] Relatives said she worked in human resources.[15] She lived in the house to care for her mother and nephew.[15][4]

Aaron Dean

On October 14, 2019, Interim Police Chief Ed Kraus identified Officer Aaron Dean as the shooter. Dean was commissioned as an officer with the Fort Worth Police Department in April 2018 after completing the Fort Worth Police Academy a month prior in March 2018. At the time of the shooting, Dean had been with the department for approximately 18 months. Prior to the shooting, the only substantial entry in his Fort Worth police personnel file was about a traffic collision.[16][17]

In 2004, Dean received a citation from the Arlington Police Department in his hometown of Arlington, Texas for assault by contact, a class C misdemeanor, while at the University of Texas at Arlington for touching a woman's breast in the campus library. The incident was discussed during his videotaped job interview with the Fort Worth Police. He pled no contest and paid a fine. According to the Fort Worth Police Department, a Class C misdemeanor would not prevent employment with their department as a police officer.[18]

Dean's training records from his first year on the job note concerns from supervisors. These concerns included that he had "tunnel vision" and "needs improvement on communicating with the public and fellow officers." Dean's most recent performance evaluation was made in the spring of 2019, where he received high marks from a supervisor.[19][20]

Killing

Welfare call

It has been reported that just prior to 2:30 a.m on the morning of October 12, 2019, police received a "welfare call" from the neighborhood of Hillside Morningside, noting that the front door to someone's home was open.[1] According to Jefferson's family, prior to police arriving at her home, she was playing video games in her home with her nephew.[4]

Open structure

During the trial it was established that, rather than responding to a "welfare call" as previously reported, the officers were dispatched to an "Open Structure" call, which usually relates to a potential burglary. The police policy for these two calls is very different.[21]

Body camera footage

Body camera footage[22] released by the Fort Worth Police Department shows that two officers had walked quietly around the side of the home.[23] Dean had walked into Jefferson's backyard.[15] Seeing Jefferson in the window of her home, the officer yelled "put your hands up! Show me your hands!" and then fired a single shot through Jefferson's window.[1][15]

Describing the video, the BBC wrote that Dean fired "within seconds" of seeing Jefferson. The BBC wrote that the footage does not appear to show police identifying themselves or whether she was armed.[4] The footage also does not reveal if Dean could see the gun that Jefferson held, as the view through the window was obstructed by the reflection from his flashlight. The officer partnered with Dean told authorities that she could only see Jefferson's face through the window.[24]

Nephew's account

Jefferson's eight-year-old nephew told the authorities that while playing video games they heard noises outside the window. The nephew testified that Jefferson took her gun from her purse, walked to the window holding it at her side while looking out the window, before she was shot. The nephew's account was used as the basis for the arrest warrant. Interim Chief Kraus stated that it, "makes sense that she would have a gun if she felt that she was being threatened or there was someone in the backyard." According to the Jefferson family attorney Lee Merritt, the firearm was lawfully owned and Jefferson had a concealed carry license.[3] The nephew testified that the front door was open because they were making hamburgers and they had burned, so the doors were open to let the smoke out.[25]

Death

Jefferson was killed by the shot and pronounced dead at 3:05 a.m[3] at the scene.[1] Police officers stated that they attempted to provide emergency medical care to Jefferson and were unsuccessful.[4]

Investigation, arrest and indictment

Police officials stated that the officer fired after perceiving a threat.[15][1] Fort Worth Police Chief Ed Kraus stated that Dean resigned before he could be fired for what Kraus said included violating departmental policies on use of force, de-escalation, and unprofessional conduct.[16] The separation paperwork for Dean was to be sent to the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement, and it would reflect that he was dishonorably discharged from the department.[26]

Manny Ramirez, the president of the Fort Worth Police Officers Association, said Dean had never been the subject of a police investigation. Kraus said Dean refused to cooperate with investigators and had not allowed Kraus to question him. Dean had not given an oral or written statement to investigators. Ramirez said he and other officers with knowledge of the situation were dumbfounded as to why Dean would have fired his weapon in this situation. Ramirez also said there was no way to explain Dean's actions.[16][17][27][28]

Based on footage from Dean's body camera which captured the shooting, a warrant was issued for his arrest. He was arrested at his attorney's office on October 14, 2019, and charged with murder.[29] He was given a $200,000 bond, which he posted, and was released about three hours later.[29] Kraus said that Dean had not provided a written statement or answered questions.[16][3]

On October 25, 2019, Tarrant County District Attorney Sharen Wilson said evidence would also be presented to a grand jury for a formal indictment. Dean is the only officer to face a murder charge in Tarrant County for a shooting committed while on duty.[30][17] He was indicted by a grand jury on a murder charge on December 20, 2019[7][8] and was found guilty of manslaughter on December 15, 2022.[31] Four days later, on December 19, 2022, Dean was sentenced to 11 years, 10 months, and 12 days in prison for the killing, and was confined at the Lon Evans Corrections Center in Fort Worth.[32]

Trial

In October 2020, Tarrant County judge David Hagerman set a tentative date of August 2021 for Dean's trial.[33] After being initially delayed due to a backlog in the courts stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, the trial was rescheduled in November 2021 to begin on January 10, 2022.[34]

In December 2021, the trial was delayed again, to May 2022, due to two defense witnesses being unavailable in January.[35] At that time, Dean's defense attorneys filed a motion for a change of venue, claiming that local media coverage had made it impossible for their client to receive a fair and impartial trial in Tarrant County.[36]

On May 4, 2022, Judge Hagerman denied the defense's change of venue motion, but granted another postponement - this one due to health issues being experienced by Dean's lead attorney. The new trial date was set for June 23.[37]

On May 16, Dean's attorneys filed a motion asking Judge Hagerman for yet another delay, as they claimed to have higher priority cases in May and June and "cannot be ready" by June 23 because of the preparation time required to meet their caseload.[38]

During a hearing on June 3, Dean's attorneys claimed their own personal vacation plans should be considered for a further delay of the trial,[39] but Hagerman denied their request and confirmed that the trial would begin on June 23.[40] On June 9, Dean's attorneys filed a motion asking for Judge Hagerman to be replaced, claiming that he had "grown increasingly hostile, overbearing and rude" to them.[41] On June 13, Tarrant County judge George Gallagher agreed to yet another delay in the trial pending the result of a hearing on the defense's recusal motion.[42] On June 28, judge Lee Gabriel approved the defense's recusal motion, removing Hagerman from presiding over the trial.[43] After Hagerman's recusal, the trial was assigned to Judge Gallagher and delayed again.[44]

On August 18, 2022, a new trial date of December 5 was set, with jury selection slated to begin on November 28.[45]

In November, Dean's attorneys filed another change of venue motion, claiming that their client could not get a fair trial in Tarrant County because former Fort Worth mayor Betsy Price and former police chief Ed Kraus had made public comments about the killing of Jefferson in the days after the shooting.[46] The second change of venue motion was denied and the trial began on December 5, 2022.[47]

On December 15, 2022, Dean was found not guilty of murder but guilty of the lesser included offense of manslaughter.[12] On December 20, he was sentenced to 11 years, 10 months, and 12 days of imprisonment.[13]

Dean is currently imprisoned in the Ramsey Unit in Rosharon, Texas.[48][49]

Reactions

Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price called the event "tragic" and promised a "complete and thorough investigation" by police chief Ed Kraus.[1] CBS News reported that the investigation would then be forwarded to the Law Enforcement Incident Team for the Tarrant County District Attorney.[1]

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People called Jefferson's death unacceptable.[4] The neighbor who called for the welfare check told reporters that he never intended for an aggressive law enforcement response. He stated: "No domestic violence, no arguing. Nothing that they should have been concerned with, as far as them coming with guns drawn to my neighbor's house. There wasn't any reason for a gun shot that I know of."[50]

Jefferson's funeral was paid for by two professional athletes; former Dallas Mavericks player Harrison Barnes and Philadelphia Eagles player Malik Jackson. A GoFundMe was also created by the family lawyer on behalf of the family.[51]

The case has been cited as a cause of loss of trust in law enforcement. During a press conference in the days following the shooting, Kraus became emotional as he compared the erosion of public trust to ants working to build an anthill, when "somebody comes with a hose and washes it away and they just have to start from scratch."[52]

See also

  • Killing of Jerry Waller, 2013 incident in which Fort Worth police shot and killed an elderly white man on his property

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Fort Worth police officer fatally shoots woman in her own home". CBS News. October 12, 2019. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Chavez, Nicole; Silverman, Hollie (October 13, 2019). "A woman was shot and killed by a Fort Worth police officer in her own home". CNN. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Branham, Dana; Emily, Jennifer (October 15, 2019). "Atatiana Jefferson pointed gun at window before Fort Worth officer killed her, nephew told authorities". Dallas News. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Black woman shot dead by Texas police through bedroom window". BBC. October 13, 2019. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
  5. 1 2 "Fort Worth, Texas, police officer who fatally shot Atatiana Jefferson resigns". NBC News. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  6. ↑ "Murder charge follows resignation of Fort Worth officer who shot woman in her home". Fort Worth Star Telegram. October 14, 2019. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
  7. 1 2 Alonso, Melissa; Maxouris, Christina (December 20, 2019). "Former Fort Worth officer indicted in Atatiana Jefferson's shooting death". CNN. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
  8. 1 2 "Former Texas police officer indicted for murder in Atatiana Jefferson's death". CBS News. December 20, 2019. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
  9. ↑ Yan, Holly; Vera, Amir; Jones, Sheena (October 14, 2019). "Former Fort Worth police officer charged with murder for killing Atatiana Jefferson in her own home". CNN. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
  10. ↑ Hawkins, Derek; Paul, Deanna (October 14, 2019). "Fort Worth officer who fatally shot woman in her home has been charged with murder, police say". Washington Post. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
  11. ↑ Allyn, Bobby (October 13, 2019). "Fort Worth Officer Kills Woman In Her Bedroom In Response To 'Open Structure Call'". NPR. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
  12. 1 2 Sanchez, Bill Kirkos,Ray (December 15, 2022). "Former Texas police officer found guilty of manslaughter for the shooting death of Atatiana Jefferson at her home". CNN. Retrieved December 15, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  13. 1 2 Russon, Cathy [@cathyrusson] (December 20, 2022). "BREAKING: Jury recommends 11 years, 10 months, 12 days in TX v #AaronDean. #AtatianaJefferson" (Tweet). Archived from the original on December 21, 2022. Retrieved December 26, 2022 – via Twitter.
  14. ↑ "Woman fatally shot in her own home by Fort Worth officer was Xavier grad". wwltv.com. October 13, 2019. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 Alvarez, Eric (October 12, 2019). "Who was Atatiana Jefferson? Woman killed by Fort Worth police officer in her home". WFAA. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
  16. 1 2 3 4 Manna, Nichole (October 15, 2019). "Police shooting of Atatiana Jefferson: What we know, what we don't know". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
  17. 1 2 3 "What We Know About the Fort Worth Police Shooting of Atatiana Jefferson". The New York Times. October 24, 2019. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
  18. ↑ Blakey, Katy (November 4, 2019). "Job Interview Sheds Light On Former Officer's Assault Charge". NBC Dallas Fort Worth. Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  19. ↑ Friedman, Scott; Douglas, jack (November 1, 2019). "Job Interview Video Sheds Light on Police Officer Who Killed Atatiana Jefferson". NBC Dallas Fort Worth. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
  20. ↑ Riley, Parker (November 2, 2019). "Disturbing Job Interview Video Released Of Former Cop Who Killed Atatiana Jefferson". NewsOne. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
  21. ↑ Chavez, Nicole. "The Fort Worth officer who shot Atatiana Jefferson wasn't actually asked to do a wellness check". CNN.com. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  22. ↑ Holly Yan, Amir Vera and Sheena Jones (October 14, 2019). "Former Fort Worth police officer charged with murder for killing Atatiana Jefferson in her own home". CNN.
  23. ↑ Hawkins, Derek (October 13, 2019). "Fort Worth police officer fatally shoots woman in her home while checking on an open front door". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
  24. ↑ Bacon, John; Jervis, Rick. "Fort Worth police chief: 'No excuse' for Aaron Dean to shoot Atatiana Jefferson in her home". USA TODAY. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
  25. ↑ "Former officer who killed Atatiana Jefferson sentenced to nearly 12 years". PBS NewsHour. December 20, 2022. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  26. ↑ Hutchinson, Bill; Moore, Marcus (October 15, 2019). "Officer who fatally shot woman in her home arrested on murder charges". ABC News. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
  27. ↑ Feuerherd, Ben (October 14, 2019). "Fort Worth cop Aaron Dean charged with murder in shooting death of Atatiana Jefferson". New York Post. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
  28. ↑ Hawkins, Derek; Deanna, Paul (October 14, 2019). "Fort Worth officer who fatally shot woman in her home has been charged with murder, police say". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
  29. 1 2 "Fort Worth officer jailed on murder charge after fatally shooting Atatiana Jefferson". The Dallas Morning News. October 14, 2019. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
  30. ↑ Connelly, Christopher (October 25, 2019). "Grand Jury Will Decide If Case Of Ex-Cop Who Killed Atatiana Jefferson Goes Forward". Houston Public Media. Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  31. ↑ Alfonseca, Kiara (December 15, 2022). "Police officer Aaron Dean found guilty of manslaughter in the killing of Atatiana Jefferson". ABC News. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  32. ↑ "Aaron Dean sentenced to 11 years, 10 months, and 12 days behind bars after pleading guilty four days prior". WFAA. December 19, 2022. Archived from the original on December 20, 2022. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  33. ↑ "Trial Date Set for Former Fort Worth Officer Accused in Atatiana Jefferson's Murder". NBC DFW. October 28, 2020. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
  34. ↑ "Trial for Fort Worth Officer Who Shot Atatiana Jefferson Set for January". NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  35. ↑ "Aaron Dean Murder Trial Delayed Until May". NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  36. ↑ "Former Fort Worth Officer Charged in Atatiana Jefferson Shooting Asks for Change of Venue". NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  37. ↑ "Aaron Dean Trial Postponed, Change of Venue Denied". NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
  38. ↑ "Aaron Dean attorneys ask for another delay in trial over death of Atatiana Jefferson". WFAA Dallas. May 18, 2022. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  39. ↑ "Murder trial against Aaron Dean to proceed as scheduled after judge denies latest delay request". WFAA Dallas. June 3, 2022. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
  40. ↑ "Judge confirms trial for Aaron Dean murder case starts this month". CBS DFW. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
  41. ↑ "Ex-Fort Worth Cop Accused of Murdering Atatiana Jefferson Seeks New Judge, Trial Delay". NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  42. ↑ "Hearing scheduled on defense motion to recuse judge in Atatiana Jefferson killing". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
  43. ↑ "Judge Removed in Aaron Dean, Atatiana Jefferson Murder Case". NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  44. ↑ "Removal of judge in ex-Fort Worth officer's murder case expected to delay trial for months". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  45. ↑ "Aaron Dean trial set to begin on Dec. 5". Fox 4 News. August 18, 2022. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
  46. ↑ "'Influential People, Positions' Impact Chance for Fair Trial, Argue Defense Attorneys for Aaron Dean". NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
  47. ↑ "Day 1: Aaron Dean Murder Trial in 2019 Shooting Death of Atatiana Jefferson". NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
  48. ↑ "Aaron Dean serving sentence at state prison in Southeast Texas". December 28, 2022.
  49. ↑ "Texas Department of Criminal Justice Inmate Search". Retrieved September 25, 2023.
  50. ↑ Allyn, Bobby (October 13, 2019). "Fort Worth Officer Kills Woman In Her Bedroom In Response To 'Open Structure Call'". NPR.org. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
  51. ↑ Steele, Tom (October 17, 2019). "Ex-Dallas Mavericks player Harrison Barnes helps pay for Atatiana Jefferson's funeral". Dallas News. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
  52. ↑ "Atatiana Jefferson pointed gun at window before Fort Worth officer killed her, nephew told authorities". Dallas News. October 15, 2019.
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