Tarrant County DA's Office To Seek Murder Indictment On Former Fort Worth Officer Aaron Dean Who Shot, Killed Atatiana Jefferson
FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - The Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney's Office announced Friday it has received the case against former Fort Worth Police officer Aaron Dean regarding the Saturday, October 12 shooting death of Atatiana Jefferson, 28, in her home.
He arrived there for a welfare check after a concerned neighbor called police because he noticed Jefferson's front door was open.
After completing an initial review of the case, and based on the evidence, the DA's office said, " We intend to ask the Grand Jury for an indictment of murder against Aaron Dean. We will prosecute this case to the fullest extent of the law."
To ensure a fair trial, the DA's Office said, as the case moves forward, "our statements will be limited in keeping with the rules of ethics for Texas attorneys. Our sympathies and prayers remain with the family and friends of Atatiana Jefferson."
He bonded out of jail that evening.
Police said in a statement the day of the shooting, Dean had perceived a threat and drew his weapon while checking her home. He fired once, striking her and killing her.
Dean had been with the department since April 2018.
Records from the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement show Dean received crisis intervention training in August 2019.
Jefferson's friends and family describing her as someone who always wanted to help others.
Jefferson graduated in 2010 from Lake Highlands High School in Dallas and then went on to study at Xavier university in Louisiana.
She graduated in 2014 with a degree in biology and was working selling pharmaceutical equipment and saving money to go to medical school.
When her mother recently got sick, she moved in to help take care of her.
Family and friends told CBS 11 she loved to make others happy and was always the life of the party.