Amber Guyger, Dallas Police Officer Who Killed Botham Jean, Will Face Trial Before A Black Female Judge
Fired Dallas police officer Amber Guyger appeared in court on Thursday (June 6) for the first time since she killed Botham Jean, facing the judge who will oversee her murder trial.
Guyger, who is white, is accused of shooting and killing Jean, a Black man whose home Guyger allegedly entered before firing her gun. Guyger reportedly told authorities she mistook Jean’s fourth-floor apartment for her own, which is directly below his, and believed the 26-year-old accountant was a burglar.
The 30-year-old ex-cop was off-duty but in uniform on September 6, 2018 when she allegedly killed Jean in his Cedars apartment. She shot him once in the chest.
Interestingly, the judge presiding over Guyger’s trial is a Black woman. During a 12-minute hearing, state District Judge Tammy Kemp pressed attorneys about the leaking of Guyger’s 911 call after the shooting despite a gag order. During the call, Guyger sounds frantic about shooting Jean but also repeatedly mentions she believes she’s going to lose her job as a police officer.
According to Dallas News, jury selection will begin on September 6 – exactly one year after Botham Jean’s death.