Atatiana Jefferson’s Mom Dies; Lee Merritt Tells BET The Impact Of Police Brutality ‘Played A Factor’
The mother of Atatiana Jefferson, the woman fatally shot by a Fort Worth police officer while she was at home, has died.
“We just learned Yolanda Carr, the mother of #Atatiana Jefferson, passed away in her home early Thursday morning,” the family’s attorney, Lee Merritt, tweeted on Jan. 9. “Atatiana was killed by a Fort Worth, TX police officer while serving as the caregiver for Ms. Carr who had recently taken ill. Memorial Service details will follow.”
RELATED: Who Was Atatiana Jefferson?
Merritt told BET, “We heard about Ms. Carr’s passing this morning. She suffered from heart failure over the summer. Atatiana was house-sitting while Ms. Carr was in the hospital when she was killed. We’re not sure of the cause of death (for Ms. Carr) at this point.”
The Dallas Morning News reports medical personnel were called to Carr’s home Thursday (Jan. 9) morning.
The cause of death is not known, but Carr had been battling an illness. She died in the same home where Atatiana, who was 28, was fatally shot by former Fort Worth police officer Aaron Dean in October 2019.
RELATED: Fort Worth Officer Who Fatally Shot Atatiana Jefferson In Her Home Indicted On Murder Charge
CBS 11 News reports that a source close to the family said police are investigating Carr’s death.
The story is developing.
Merritt told BET that “the impact of (police) brutally definitely played a factor in Ms. Carr’s health,” which continued to decline after Atatiana’s murder.
