Former Fort Worth Police Officer Aaron Dean Charged With Murder For Shooting Atatiana Jefferson
FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - The Fort Worth Police officer who shot and killed a woman in her home early Saturday morning has been booked into the Tarrant County Jail and charged with murder.
Bond for Aaron Dean was set at $200,000, but the Tarrant County Jail confirmed after 9:30 p.m. Monday, he had bonded out of jail.
Records from the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement show Dean received crisis intervention training two months ago.
The Fort Worth Police Department has said since shortly after the shooting happened, it would be as transparent and give updates in the case as much as possible.
The department tweeted around 7:15 p.m. Monday, "Aaron Dean was arrested by Fort Worth Police on Oct. 14. Dean has been charged with murder of Atatiana Jefferson. Dean is in the Tarrant County Jail."
Interim Police Chief Ed Krauss will hold a news conference from the jail on Tuesday.
On Monday night, Sgt. Chris Daniels held a brief news conference and said, "Concerning the status of the criminal investigation, at approximately 6:00 p.m. Aaron Dean was arrested for the murder of Ms. Jefferson. He has since been booked into the Tarrant County Jail. Our department has been working closely with the Tarrant County District Attorney's Office, our major case unit, internal affairs units and are continuing to work diligently to complete the criminal and administrative investigations into this matter. To the citizens and residents of our city, we feel and understand your anger and your disappointment and we stand by you as we work together to make Fort Worth a better place for us all."
Dean, who resigned from the Fort Worth Police Department earlier Monday, shot and killed Atatiana Jefferson in her home while responding to a welfare check this weekend has resigned from the department before he could be fired.
Jefferson's neighbor, James Smith, had called the department's non-emergency number after noticing that the front door of her home had been left open since about 10:00 p.m. Friday.
Police said in a statement Saturday that Dean had perceived a threat and drew his weapon while checking her home. He fired once, striking her.
Dean had been with the department since April 2018.
CBS 11 spoke to Jeremy Jenkins, one of Dean's neighbors.
"He seems just like a normal every day dude," said Jenkins.
He described Dean and his parents as a nice family who once invited him to their church.
"I was shocked," said Jenkins. "As soon as I saw the picture (of Dean) I was like, 'oh man.' I mean, you read about this, but you imagine it's like right next door. I feel for the woman and her family. It's a tragedy."
In a statement released Monday afternoon, Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price addressed both Jefferson's neighbor and nephew.
To Mr. James Smith, I know you are hurting today as well. You called police to check on your neighbor because you cared about her safety and wellbeing. You were being a wonderful neighbor and doing the right thing to make sure she was ok. You are the type of person we all want living next door, watching out for us. Atatiana's death has eroded your own your sense of safety and trust in law enforcement. I'm truly sorry.
To Atatiana's nephew, who has witnessed an unspeakable loss — sorry doesn't really cut it. This entire city needs to surround him with prayers, support, and anything his family needs," Price said.
Body-cam video was also released that showed the events leading up to Jefferson's death. The video shows Dean shining a flashlight into a window and shouting at Jefferson to put her hands up. Not even a full second later, she was shot through the window.
