Ex-Cop Amber Guyger Ordered to Pay Nearly $100 Million to Botham Jean’s Family After Fatal 2018 Shooting
A federal jury has ordered former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger to pay nearly $100 million to the family of Botham Jean, the unarmed Black man she fatally shot in his apartment in 2018.
The jury awarded $98.6 million to Jean’s estate and his parents, Allison and Bertrum Jean, with $60 million allocated for punitive damages.
Daryl Washington, the family's attorney, emphasized the significance of the verdict telling USA TODAY the jury decision "sends a message loud and clear that police brutality is not going to be accepted."
"I think whenever verdicts like this come out, it has a potential of saving lives," Washington said. "It's going to really force a police officer to think deep and long before they decide to use deadly force in a situation where it's not justifiable."
Guyger, who is currently serving a 10-year prison sentence for Jean’s murder, testified that she mistakenly entered his apartment, believing it was her own, and thought he was an intruder. Despite her claims, the jury concluded that she used excessive force and acted under the color of law when she killed the 26-year-old, who was sitting on his couch eating ice cream at the time of the shooting.
At the time of the incident, Guyger was carrying a taser and pepper spray in addition to the firearm she used to kill Jean. She has been incarcerated since October 2019.
