Source: NewsOne composite / NewsOne composite
A federal jury awarded the family of Botham Jean nearly $100 million for his wrongful death at the hands of former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger.
On Wednesday (Nov. 20), a federal grand jury in Dallas, Texas, found that former police officer Amber Guyger used excessive force in the death of Botham Jean in 2018, violating his constitutional rights in the process. The jurors awarded Jean’s family a verdict of $98.65 million. “Today is a day that I’m a bit consoled,” said Bertrum Jean, Botham’s father to the press afterward. “I’m still heartbroken over the loss of my son … but today I think justice was served and we are very thankful, and we pray that it will be a lesson.”
Jean, an accountant, was a native of St. Lucia who lived in the same building as Guyger. On the night of Sept. 6, 2018, the 26-year-old was eating ice cream on his couch (something his family said he enjoyed from childhood) when Guyger allegedly mistook his apartment for her own and opened fire on him, believing him to be a burglar. Guyger would be fired from the Dallas Police Department and go on to be found guilty of murder in a criminal trial where she was sentenced to 10 years in prison. She was eligible for parole earlier in the fall, which was denied.
The breakdown of the monetary judgment included $60 million in punitive damages, awarded due to the jury’s finding of malice or heightened indifference to the rights of others. Guyger waived her right to participate in the trial, which Jean’s family said demonstrated a lack of accepting accountability for her actions. That was underscored by testimony that showed that Guyger didn’t offer medical aid despite having that training and a recording of the 911 call where she vocalized worry over losing her job. The city of Dallas also successfully filed to be dismissed from the judgment.
Jean’s family did not hesitate in expressing their disappointment with the city’s handling of the incident from the beginning but also expressed their appreciation for those in Dallas who supported them through the ordeal. “I feel the support of the Dallas community from the day I flew in on September 7th, there were already protests, vigils, all sorts of things,” Allison Jean, Botham’s mother said. “I feel the warmth of the city, of the community, but the institutions within that city that are supposed to do better, have not.”