Botham Jean’s Family Awarded $98.6 Million By A Dallas Jury

The family of Botham Jean, the Dallas man who was murdered in his apartment by a Dallas police officer in 2018, was awarded $98.6 million by a jury Wednesday.

“We are very happy that this jury has spoken, and we are going to continue to work,” the family’s attorney, Daryl K. Washington, said at a news conference Wednesday after the decision in the civil trial against the officer convicted in Jean’s death, Amber Guyger.

“The city of Dallas hired Amber Guyger,” Washington added. “The city of Dallas was responsible for training Amber Guyger. On the night that Botham was killed, the city of Dallas and the police officers protected Amber Guyger. But yet, when you have a situation like this, they kick police officers under the bus and they run away from the liability.”

In 2020, a federal judge dismissed the city of Dallas from the lawsuit after the city argued the suit failed “to state a claim” against it.

Guyger, who was fired from the Dallas Police Department shortly after she fatally shot Jean, was found guilty on Oct. 1, 2019, of murdering her neighbor. In Guyger’s testimony, she said she had mistakenly entered Jean’s apartment on Sept. 6, 2018, thinking it was her own and shot him because she believed he was an intruder. Jean, a 26-year-old Black man, was sitting on his couch watching TV and eating ice cream when Guyger, a 30-year-old white officer, shot him.

The civil trial against Guyger began Monday. Guyger did not have legal representation, and she did not appear in court, according to KDFW-TV in Dallas.

In a statement Wednesday, the legal team for Jean’s family said the verdict was a “powerful testament” to the “profound injustice of his death.”

“On Sept. 6, 2018, Botham was doing nothing more than sitting in his own home, eating ice cream, when Amber Guyger –– an off-duty officer –– wrongly entered his apartment and fatally shot him,” the statement says. “This case laid bare critical issues of racial bias and police accountability that cannot be ignored. Today’s verdict sends a clear message that law enforcement officers who commit crimes cannot be insulated from the consequences of their actions.”

The murder led to outrage as protesters pointed out Jean’s race and said police officers too often use unnecessary force against Black people. In Guyger’s testimony, she said her actions had nothing to do with Jean’s race.

“I was scared this person inside my apartment was going to hurt me,” she said, adding, “This is not about hate, it’s about being scared that night.” Guyger was sentenced to 10 years in prison.