Botham Shem Jean was one of those rare people who is remembered as a universally respected human being. Person after person – whether family members or co-workers or neighbors or former classmates – describe him as a positive, friendly person whose life and successes were just getting started. However, his life came to a tragic end in a bizarre story that many feel doesn’t add up, and his death has become a rallying cry across the country for those concerned about police-related deaths. Jean, a 26-year-old businessman from a prominent Saint Lucian family, was shot and killed by a female Dallas police officer, Amber Guyger. Authorities say she accidentally went to Jean’s apartment, thinking it was her own. Everyone agrees that Jean did nothing wrong. He was just enjoying a bowl of ice cream and watching television when Guyger burst in. A jury in Dallas found the 31 year old former Dallas police officer guilty of murder for shooting the Saint Lucian businessman in his own apartment. The verdict capped a dramatic trial that saw the defendant’s own emotional apology on the stand and accusations of sexting. The jury sentenced Guyger to 10 years in prison. Jean’s family offered emotional testimony about his life and promise during the sentencing hearing. After it, his brother, Brandt Jean, asked to hug Guyger in court and offered her love and forgiveness. Watch that moment here. Botham’s mother, Allison Jean, described her son’s successes. After the sentence, she said, “That 10 years in prison is 10 years for her reflection and for her to change her life. But there is much more to be done by the City of Dallas. The corruption that we saw during this process must stop. And it must stop for you. Because after now I leave Dallas, but you live in Dallas, and it must stop for everyone.” Bertrum Jean, Botham’s father, told the jury: “How could we have lost Botham, such a sweet boy? He tried his best to live a good, honest life. He loved God. He loved everyone. How could this happen to him? In hindsight — what could we have done? My family is broken-hearted. How could it be possible? We’ll never see him again. And I want to see him, I still want to see him.” On November 30, 2018, Guyger was indicted on a murder charge. That charge, Dallas County District Attorney Faith Johnson said, required an element that the person “intentionally and knowingly” committed the crime versus doing it recklessly, CNN reported, quoting Johnson as saying, “At the moment of the shooting it was a knowing … offense.” Guyger’s lawyer insists the shooting was a “true mistake,” according to CNN. The Dallas Police Department identified the police officer as Amber Rene Guyger, who has been on the force for four years. You can read more about Officer Guyger here. Guyger was arrested by the Texas Rangers in Kaufman County, Texas on the evening of September 9, 2018. The Dallas Police Department announced on September 24, 2018 that it had fired Guyger. Kaufman County Jail online records show that Guyger was being held on $300,000 bail, which she then posted. Here’s a close up of her mugshot: The arrest affidavit alleges that Jean’s door was unlocked, and it was dark inside when Guyger entered it. She allegedly thought he was a burglar when she saw a person in the dark, shooting Jean a single time in the chest. The Dallas Morning News reported that she had just worked a 15-hour shift, had parked on the wrong floor of the parking garage, and was one floor up from her actual floor. However, at trial, prosecutors told jurors that Guyger’s belief that the apartment was her own was unreasonable and she should have known it wasn’t. Among other clues, Jean’s apartment had a bright red floor mat outside, and Guyger’s did not. She also may have lost points with the jury when it was revealed she was sexting her partner that night. An emotional Guyger apologized from the stand and said she shot Jean because she was scared, wrongly thinking he was an intruder in her apartment. Botham Shem Jean, a recent college graduate known for his leadership and singing voice in church, was originally from the Caribbean island nation of Saint Lucia, and, according to their Facebook comments and tributes, he was the pride of his family, a young man who came to America to study accounting and for whom great things were expected. The officer worked in patrol. The police chief said that, when officers first responded to the call, they believed it was an “officer-involved shooting,” but the circumstances changed as more details were revealed, creating, “a very unique situation.” She said, “We have ceased handling it under our normal protocol as an officer-involved shooting.” Botham Shem Jean, whose nickname was “Bo,” comes from a prominent family in Saint Lucia. According to St. Lucia Times, Jean was the son of Allison Jean, described as “former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Innovation, Gender Relations and sustainable Development” and Bertram Jean, who was a store supervisor for Water and Sewerage Company Inc., known as WASCO. His uncle, Ignatius Jean, is “Chief Executive Officer of the Caribbean Water and Sewerage Association Inc. (CAWASA) and former government Minister and Parliamentarian,” St. Lucia Times reported. On LinkedIn, Botham Jean described himself as an “aspiring young professional” who was “engaged in developing a career built upon integrity, dedication and relationships, leveraging useful technologies to gain an understanding of and add value in a range industries, striving towards leadership in my career, my community and society.” He was working in Dallas as a risk assurance associate for PricewaterhouseCoopers, according to his LinkedIn page. In college, he was president of a Young Leaders group. Alyssa Kinsey, who was Jean’s neighbor in the apartment complex where he was shot, and who heard the gunfire, told Heavy in an interview that Jean was a good person through and through.<doc-sep>DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings called the shooting death of Botham Jean by an off-duty officer a “very serious issue” for the city in a statement Saturday afternoon. The 26-year-old was shot inside his own apartment at the Southside Flats complex after it appeared the Dallas officer mistook his unit as her own. Questions still remain on what exactly led to the shooting as investigators continue to look into the incident. Police said the Texas Rangers have taken over the investigation. As questions linger, Mayor Rawlings delivered a statement Saturday to praise Jean as a great citizen to the city. He was accompanied by Sen. Royce West and Mayor pro tem Casey Thomas. “Botham Jean was exactly the sort of citizen we want to have in the city of Dallas. We’re becoming an international city. A man that grew up in St. Lucia, a professional working for PWC, a believer in his church, a neighbor to his friends, a man that always had a smile on his face. And for that reason, this is a terrible, terrible thing that has happened. Not only has he lost his life, but we’ve lost a potential leader for his city for decades to come,” said Mayor Rawlings. Mayor Rawlings also wanted to reassure the city that action is taking place to get answers for the “tragedy.” “I believe what Chief Hall has done has been exactly the right thing. This is a tough situation. As she said, a unique situation. Her wisdom in asking the Texas Rangers to come in and take over this investigation is foresight. We want to make sure as she said that everything is transparent and above board. Believe me for anyone that questions whether we’re going to get to the truth of this, there should be no doubters. We will find out exactly what happened,” said Mayor Rawlings. The Dallas mayor met with Jean’s family Saturday morning when they flew into Dallas. He met his mother, sister and brother-in-law. “They’re a remarkable family and you understand why Botham was such a great man. Mrs. Jean was a government leader in St. Lucia for years. She started telling me stories about Botham,” said Mayor Rawlings. Gov. Greg Abbott talked with Mayor Rawlings about the incident and assured him that justice will be served. “We will call on you again today to be patient and know that we’re going to make sure that justice is served. On the other hand, we need you to be there for us,” said Mayor Rawlings. Sen. West urged the city to remember Jean during Sunday church services and to pray for the family as the search for more answers into the beloved man’s death. “Tomorrow morning when you go to worship, make sure you remember Botham in your prayers and remember his family also. I’m convinced the Texas Rangers will do a job that will make all of Texas proud. What I will ask is that the Rangers leave no stone unturned, number one. Number two, make certain we get answers to the questions out there now,” said Sen. West.<doc-sep>What investigators may be looking for NS Slug: TX:MAN KILLED BY COP IN WRONG APT-CHURCH REACTIONS Synopsis: Church members speak out about a man who was killed by a cop who walked into the wrong apartment Keywords: TEXAS DALLAS JUSTICE LEGAL (CNN) — A Dallas police officer was arrested Sunday in connection with the shooting death of Botham Shem Jean, the Texas Rangers said. Amber Guyger, who is white, was off-duty when she shot Jean, a black man, after mistakenly entering his apartment at the complex where she also lived, police said Thursday. Jean, 26, a native of St. Lucia who worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers in Dallas, died at a hospital. Guyger, 30, of Dallas, was charged with manslaughter, according to jail records. The four-year veteran of the department was released from the Kaufman County Jail on Sunday evening after posting a $300,000 bond. It wasn’t immediately clear if Guyger had an attorney. Guyger’s arrest was announced as Jean’s family and their attorneys say they met with Dallas County District Attorney Faith Johnson to demand the officer’s arrest. Kaufman County Jail/Facebook Amber Guyger and Botham Shem Jean “We don’t need evidence beyond a reasonable doubt at this point,” the family’s attorney, S. Lee Merritt, told reporters Sunday. “At this point, we need probable cause of a crime. And the existence of probable cause is painstakingly clear to everyone.” Merritt said attorneys presented prosecutors with a witness, and video evidence, which didn’t capture the shooting, but declined to elaborate. “We’re still dealing in America with black people being killed in some of the most arbitrary ways, driving while black, walking while black and now we have to add living while black,” co-counsel Benjamin Crump said. Jean worked as a risk assurance experienced associate at PricewaterhouseCoopers, according to his LinkedIn page. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Harding University in Arkansas in 2016. Crump said Jean was “living, doing everything that you want a young person to do.” “He had no criminal history. He was an amazing student. He was an amazing citizen. He loved God,” Crump said. My statement on tonight’s arrest of Amber Guyger pic.twitter.com/pIfToTpSsN — Mike Rawlings (@Mike_Rawlings) September 10, 2018 Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings thanked the Texas Rangers and praised Police Chief Ulysha Renee Hall, who asked the Texas Rangers to take over the investigation. “Please continue to pray for the family of Botham Jean tonight and in the weeks and months ahead,” Rawlings said in a statement. CNN’s Rashard Rose and Ray Sanchez contributed to this report.<doc-sep>Dallas police said Friday they are seeking a warrant for manslaughter against one of their own after an off-duty officer entered the wrong apartment in her building and killed a man who was inside. Police Chief Reneé Hall said a blood sample was drawn at her request to test the officer's drug and alcohol levels and "we are in the process of obtaining a warrant based on the circumstances." She said at a news conference that the Texas Rangers were launching an independent investigation. Investigators are "working as vigorously and meticulously as we can to ensure the integrity of this case and ensure the integrity of the department is upheld," Hall said. The officer was off-duty at the time of the shooting and Hall said her name would be released if she's officially charged. Further details surrounding the death of Botham Shem Jean, a 26-year-old native of the Caribbean island of St. Lucia, were not immediately provided. Hall did not say why the officer opened fire and declined to discuss what she may have been doing before she returned home after working a full shift Thursday. Jean's mother, Allie Jean, who lives in St. Lucia and has been visiting with a daughter this week in Brooklyn, New York, said that she wants to forgive the officer and has a question for her: Why? "She took away my heart, she took away my soul, she took away everything," she said. "He didn't deserve to die like that." Botham Shem Jean was shot when a Dallas police officer returning home from her shift entered the wrong apartment in her building. via Facebook Dallas police in a statement said that preliminary information suggests the officer involved called 911, and told responding officers that "she entered the victim's apartment believing that it was her own." The incident began just before 10 p.m. CT (11 p.m. ET) at the South Side Flats, an upscale apartment complex directly south of Dallas' downtown. During the encounter, the officer was in full uniform and "fired her weapon striking the victim," police said. Jean was taken to the hospital and died. The Dallas County Medical Examiner later released his identity. At a news conference early Friday, Dallas police Sgt. Warren Mitchell said they had yet to interview the officer and would not speculate as to whether she mistakenly entered another apartment and believed the man already inside was an intruder. "We still have a lot to do in this investigation," Mitchell added. Allie Jean said her son lived in a gated apartment complex and had no reason not to trust anyone who was at his door. "He's that kind of person," she said. But she questioned how the situation could have escalated to her son's shooting. "Somebody has to be crazy not to realize that they walked into the wrong apartment," Allie Jean said. "He's a bachelor. Things are different inside." "And if you try your key and it doesn't work, that should make you realize you're at the wrong apartment," she added. "Every door for each apartment is also numbered." Allie Jean said she would speak with her son daily, usually before 10 p.m., but thought he might be out after she didn't hear from him. She remembered her son, who was nicknamed Bo, as a top student who loved serving as a song leader in church and leading worship. He attended Harding University, a private Christian institution in Arkansas, and was a member of the Good News Singers and campus ministry. "I don't think there was a student on campus who didn't know Botham," said Landis Tindell, who knew him as a resident adviser. "He was always friendly, always smiling, and just all around a great person." After Jean graduated in 2016, he remained in the U.S. with an internship at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Dallas, his mother said. The company said he was an associate in its risk assurance department. "We were very, very close," Allie Jean added. "We would talk about everything, about politics. Botham loved everyone, and everyone loved him." His sister, Allisa Charles-Findley, wrote on Facebook that she was thinking about what to get Jean for his 27th birthday later this month, but "now I have to go pick out your casket." "My brother is my best friend," she told NBC News. "My heart is broken beyond repair." CORRECTION (Sept. 7, 2018, 3:52 p.m. ET): An earlier version of this article misstated where the mother of the victim was when she was interviewed by phone. Allie Jean was in Brooklyn, New York, not St. Lucia.<doc-sep>
What investigators may be looking for NS Slug: TX:MAN KILLED BY COP IN WRONG APT-CHURCH REACTIONS Synopsis: Church members speak out about a man who was killed by a cop who walked into the wrong apartment Keywords: TEXAS DALLAS JUSTICE LEGAL South Side Flats is shown in this Friday, Sept. 7, 2018 photo. A Dallas police officer returning home from work shot and killed a neighbor after she said she mistook his apartment for her own, authorities said Friday. The officer called dispatch to report that she had shot the man Thursday night, police said. She told responding officers that she believed the victim's apartment was her own when she entered it. (AP Photo/Ryan Tarinelli) (CNN) — Dallas police are obtaining a warrant on manslaughter charges against a police officer who shot and killed a man after entering an apartment she mistakenly thought was her own, police Chief Ulysha Renee Hall said Friday. The shooting took place Thursday night at the South Side Flats. The white patrol officer has not been identified, but her name will be released when she is formally charged, Hall told reporters. The slain man was identified as Botham Shem Jean, 26, of St. Lucia. “Right now, there are more questions than answers,” Hall said. Her initial remarks at a news conference were also posted on the Dallas police blog. Ryan Tarinelli/AP The shooting occurred at the South Side Flats in Dallas. “A female Dallas police officer returned to what she believed to be her apartment after her shift ended – she was still in uniform when she encountered Mr. Jean inside the apartment,” Hall said. The chief said it isn’t clear what “the interaction was between her and the victim. Then at some point she fired her weapon striking the victim.” The officer called 911 and officers “responded in about four minutes,” Hall said. Rescue crews transported Jean to a hospital, where he later died. Hall said police aren’t handling the case under the department’s usual officer-involved shooting protocol. Hall – who didn’t provide details on that situation – said police aren’t handling the case under the department’s usual officer-involved shooting protocol. “A blood sample was drawn to test for drugs and alcohol, we are in the process of obtaining a warrant, and we have also invited the Texas Rangers to conduct an independent investigation,” she said, referring to the state law enforcement agency. Jean was listed on LinkedIn as a risk assurance experienced associate at PricewaterhouseCoopers. He earned a bachelor’s degree at Harding University in Arkansas. “This is a terrible tragedy,” Jean’s employer said. “We are simply heartbroken to hear of his death.” Jean described himself on LinkedIn as a “young professional, engaged in developing a career built upon integrity, dedication and relationships, leveraging useful technologies to gain an understanding of and add value in a range (of) industries, striving towards leadership in my career, my community and society.”