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On Thursday, former Fort Worth police officer Aaron Dean was found guilty of the 2019 murder of Atatiana Jefferson, a 28-year-old Black woman. He was charged with manslaughter and faces up to 20 years in prison following his conviction.
After 13 hours of deliberation, a White Texas jury found the former cop guilty of manslaughter. According to prosecutors, Atatiana Jefferson was killed when Aaron Dean fatally shot her through a window of her house in October 2019. He was reportedly responding to a non-emergency call from the area. He was initially charged with murder.
The trial included six days of testimony and arguments that focused on figuring out whether Dean saw Jefferson armed before he shot her. Jefferson's nephew, who was with her when she was shot by Aaron Dean, testified that she had grabbed a gun when they heard noises outside.
According to the Dallas Morning News, the judge asked the majority White Tarrant County jury to consider a charge of manslaughter. The legal representative for Atatiana Jefferson's nephew, who was identified as 8-year-old Zion Carr, told the Dallas Morning News:
"The issue is how readily the jurors identify with what happened to the victim. Black jurors identify more readily because they share the same fears. Jurors vote based on their concerns about being personally impacted by the outcomes of trials."
Atatiana Jefferson was playing with her 8-year-old nephew when she was shot by Aaron Dean
On October 12, 2019, Atatiana Jefferson, a 28-year-old Black woman, was playing with her 8-year-old nephew when she was killed by the then-Texas police officer, who fatally shot her through the rear window of her house. According to Dean, he was responding to a welfare call at 2:30 am from a neighbor. The non-emergency call notified him about an open front door.
Dean's body camera footage shows the officer entering the backyard of the Jefferson residence through a gate. He shouts at Jefferson to show her hands and then fires at her mere seconds later. At no point did Aaron Dean identify himself as the police.
Atatiana Jefferson was pronounced dead at 3:05 am. Police said they tried to provide immediate medical aid to the wounded woman but could not save her. During the trial, Jefferson's nephew testified in court that the aunt-nephew duo had burned some hamburgers on that fateful day in 2019. His aunt kept the door open to let the smoke out.
Prosecutors found discrepancies in the statements given by Zion in court and those given to the authorities in 2019. Jefferson's family attorney Lee Merritt, however, said that the young boy was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
He further stated that Atatiana Jefferson was in legal possession of both the gun and a concealed carry permit.
Aaron Dean reportedly resigned from his position before he could be fired in 2019. He also refused to cooperate with the investigation.
