Neighbors From Amber Guyger's Childhood React To Deadly Shooting Of Innocent Man
ARLINGTON, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - The neighborhood street in East Arlington is lined with houses built in the 1950's.
Most of them, according to a resident of five years, are rentals now.
For the past week, the residents along Kelly Terrace have noticed police cars patrolling the area. What some of them never knew until Tuesday brought surprise.
The family home where a criminally accused Dallas Police officer lived as a teenager sits in the middle of their section of Kelly Terrace.
Amber Guyger is the Dallas officer arrested Sunday on one count of manslaughter.
According to her arrest affidavit, on September 6, Guyger shot and killed 26-year-old Botham Jean.
Jean was in his Cedars area apartment. His unit is in the same building as Guyger's. He lives one floor above Guyger. Police say Guyger mistakenly tried to enter Jean's apartment, then shot him because she thought he was an intruder.
The story about Guyger's arrest came as a shock to Noel Anderson. Anderson lives next door to Guyger's mother.
The Arlington resident said Tuesday he has lived in his home for 20 years.
"It's the saddest thing, because I think that family has known hardship, and they kind of keep to themselves," Anderson said.
The neighbor said the family was known as animal lovers. Guyger graduated from Sam Houston High School in 2008, according to an Arlington ISD spokesman.
Other neighbors said they didn't see Guyger in the area as much as they saw a young man, presumably, the officer's brother.
"He was in the Navy. He's here a lot," Anderson explained.
But when it came to describing the Dallas police officer's years in the neighborhood, Anderson said the police presence of the past week now made sense.
"In the past couple of days, I've more police cars on this street. One parked in front of my house, and one last night had a search light going in all directions. And for this to happen, it's a tragedy at every side. Everybody gets hurt," he said.
Last week, Dallas Police Association President Mike Mata described Guyger as a young officer who had performed an amazing job in her four years as a DPD officer. But a spokesman for the Association declined to discuss Guyger on Tuesday.