Atatiana Jefferson, a 28-year-old Black woman, was shot and killed in her own home by a police officer after she allegedly reached for her gun in response to hearing noises in her backyard at 2:30 AM on Saturday. The noises were Fort Worth police officers sneaking around the back of her house after receiving a call from a neighbor that the front door was open.
Jefferson was playing video games with her 8-year-old nephew who told police that his aunt, “heard noises coming from outside, and she took her handgun from her purse.” Officer Aaron Dean, who joined the force in 2018, did not announce himself before firing one shot through the window. He has been charged with murder and released on $200,000 bail.
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Records show that 5 people have been killed by police officers in Fort Worth in 2019. Additionally, the shooting comes in the same month that former police officer Amber Guyger was found guilty of murdering Botham Jean in his Dallas apartment and sentenced to 10 years in prison.
In an emotional press conference on Tuesday, Police Chief Ed Krauss told reporters that, "It makes sense [Jefferson] would have a gun if she felt threatened or if there was someone in the backyard."