Although it is different cities and different police departments in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, another family is left to grieve the tragic loss of a loved one. An African American woman in the privacy of her home was shot and killed by a reportedly white cop.
It began with good intentions when a neighbor of 28-year-old Atatiana Koquice Jefferson noticed her front door open and called the non-emergency police number around 2:25 a.m. Officers arrived to investigate.
Suddenly, while looking through a bedroom window, he commanded for her to “put your hands up! Show me your hands,” then the cop shot Jefferson, who died from her wound despite efforts to save her. The video does not show the cop identifying themselves as a police officer.
The Fort Worth Police Department and city officials have tried to appear transparent through the release of a statement, and what some consider “a heavily edited nearly 2-minute video” from the body cam camera. However, they are denying requests for unedited body camera footage, an incident report, and dispatch audio made by CNN.
The released statement from the police department indicated they share, “the deep concerns of the public and is committed to completing an extremely thorough investigation of this critical police incident to its resolution.”
Although they reportedly did recover a gun in the home, there was no suggestion Jefferson aimed the weapon at this time.
The name of the officer was not released, but he reportedly was placed on administrative leave until the end of the investigation.
Speaking with NBCDFW, the family want justice.
“She didn’t do anything wrong, but she’s inside of her home, trying to protect her home and my son that’s inside. She’s not a threat. She’s a college graduate,” Jefferson’s older sister Amber Carr said. “You want to see justice, but justice don’t bring my sister back.”
This tragic shooting comes on the heels of Amber Guyger’s conviction for the murder of Botham Jean on September 8, 2018. Although many considered the conviction a statement for justice, they were disappointed the jury sentenced Guyger to serve only 10 years.
This senseless murder highlights the police in this country in a way that calls for national changes. The police need to be trained in a different way. Currently, it is evident that they shoot first – all too often. Over a thousand people are killed by police every year in this country. About 1/3 of these deaths are of people who are unarmed.
And the question of race and preconceived/subconscious notions by police about who deserves to be shot needs to be considered. I very rarely hear about flagrant citizen murders carried out by anyone BUT white police.
We pay the salaries of the police through our tax dollars. We deserve better protection. They are supposed to SERVE and PROTECT US….not murder us in front of our relatives. Atrocities like that in the case of Botham Jean and Atatia Jefferson need never happen again!