The latest police killing to grip the nation’s attention was the recent murder of 26-year-old Botham Shem Jean, who was gunned down by Dallas police officer Amber Guyger after she mistakenly walked into his apartment and shot him dead, believing him to be an intruder in her home.
Jean’s family was very confused as to why it took the Dallas Police three days before Guyger was reluctantly charged with manslaughter and then arrested. To their horror, the whitewashing campaign began on Monday as investigators tried to make a truly offensive case to somehow justify the crime.
The Associated Press reports that “David Armstrong of the Texas Rangers wrote in an arrest affidavit released Monday that Officer Amber Guyger said it was nearly completely dark inside the apartment when she entered.”
“He says Guyger said the person ignored her verbal commands and she fired twice. One struck Jean in the chest and he later died.”
Why anyone would obey the shouted commands of an intruder in their home is beyond any comprehension, and the idea that Botham Jean was somehow at fault because he didn’t respond to shouted commands in his own home is absolutely preposterous and a disgraceful attempt to victim-blame.
The story given by investigators is markedly different from the one that was first reported. Originally, Guyger said the door was locked and she had to put down several items and fought with the key; her new story says the door was unlocked and she gave him commands to obey, which he didn’t and thus prompted the killing.
I want you to see what Dallas Police Officer Amber Guyger is doing.
Her new story is that #BothamJean's door was unlocked & she yelled for him to put his hands up.
But look at her first story. The door was locked. She kept trying to unlock it. Put down items in her hands, etc. pic.twitter.com/aOvdk15O7g
— Shaun King (@shaunking) September 10, 2018
It’s also very suspicious that the Dallas Police did not immediately arrest her, but rather waited several days for the Texas Rangers (state-level police) to do so in neighboring Kaufman county where Guyger is much less likely to face a black jury.
The spin machine and police brutality absolvement system are already in motion; it remains to be seen if the case is high profile enough for the District Attorney’s office to actually serve justice for once.
It just goes to show why Colin Kaepernick and NFL players kneel during the anthem; Guyger murdered this innocent man without even thinking about it. Black Americans aren’t even safe in their own homes.
