Trial Date Set In Atatiana Jefferson Murder Case, Former FWPD Officer Aaron Dean Goes To Court This Fall
FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) — A trial date has been set for the former Fort Worth police officer charged with murdering Atatiana Jefferson.
According to Tarrant County court records, Aaron Dean will go before a judge and jury on November 16. Dean resigned from the police force shortly after the shooting in 2019.
Jefferson was babysitting her 8-year-old nephew at her mother's home when she was shot.
Police were summoned after a neighbor called a non-emergency number to report a door open at the home -- something he found unusual.
When officers arrived, they parked around the corner from the home and went into the backyard with flashlights.
When Jefferson's nephew recounted the early morning events, he said they had heard noises outside and that his aunt got her gun, which she was licensed to carry, and walked toward a bedroom window.
Body camera footage shows that Dean shot Jefferson within seconds of seeing someone at the glass.
District 8 council member Chris Nettles says Dean going to trial is a win for the community, and a first step in healing process. "Our concern and our thought pattern is this is something that hurt the whole entire city of Fort Worth," he said. ""n order for the city of Fort Worth to grow, mature, and heal, we need to get passed this trial date, and start becoming a city again."
Nettles says he's hoping the trial brings transparency and Jefferson's family gets justice.
"We want the judge to make sure every piece of evidence is set in place so we can honestly know what happened that night," Nettles said. "Believe it or not, we've seen videos, but we really don't know what truly happened that night after that call was made."
If convicted, Dean could face life in prison.