Warrant On Hold For Off-Duty Dallas Officer Who Killed Man In Apartment
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - As the community mourns the loss of Botham Jean who was killed by an off-duty officer in his apartment, the investigation into what exactly happened is in the hand of the Texas Rangers. Dallas Police Chief Renee Hall said Saturday that a warrant for the officer has been put on hold by the Rangers as they investigate.
The officer who shot Jean was identified Saturday evening as Amber Guyger, who has been with the department for four years.
"We are totally committed to getting to the bottom of this situation," said Chief Hall.
She treaded lightly Saturday, taking questions about the shooting during a leadership summit at Paul Quinn College.
"This is a tragedy. Regardless of the circumstances, this is a tragedy on both sides," she said.
Late Thursday evening, an off-duty Dallas officer who was still in uniform shot and killed Botham Jean in his apartment after she apparently mistook his unit as her own.
"There is so much rhetoric surrounding this incident, and we have a lot of questions that are unanswered," said Chief Hall.
Chief Hall did answer why the officer has not been charged yet with any crime even though she said Friday that the department was seeking a manslaughter charge.
"The Texas Rangers had an opportunity to interview the officer. Based on that interview, they asked us to hold off on the warrant until they had an opportunity to investigate some of the information that was provided during that interview," said Chief Hall.
Jean was a professional and was heavily involved in his faith and church community. Mayor Mike Rawlings praised him Saturday during a statement, saying he was a great citizen to the city and that "we've lost a potential leader for this city for decades to come."
A vigil was held Saturday afternoon to honor Jean where his mother spoke to the mourning community.
"Botham loved God. Botham loved you. Botham loved mankind. Botham never saw color, race. Botham wanted all of us to unite," said Allison Jean.
She's proud of the life her son lived in his 26 years.
"I am thankful to God that he gave me that son. He gave me a good boy. Thank you very much," Botham's mother said.