Updated September 24, 2018 at 10:59 a.m.:
Dallas Police Chief U. Reneé Hall terminated Police Officer Amber Guyger, #10702, during a hearing held September 24, 2018.
An Internal Affairs investigation concluded that on September 9, 2018, Officer Guyger, #10702, engaged in adverse conduct when she was arrested for Manslaughter.
Officer Guyger was terminated for her actions. She was hired in November 2013 and was assigned to the Southeast Patrol Division.
Under civil service rules, Officer Guyger has the right to appeal her discipline.
Updated September 20, 2018 at 3:45 p.m.:
Statement from Chief U. RENEÉ HALL
DALLAS, September 20, 2018 – “There is one overriding reason that I have not taken any administrative or employment action against Officer Amber Guyger. I don’t want to interfere with the on-going criminal investigation into her actions.
“Here’s why. As an employer, DPD can compel Officer Guyger to provide a statement during a DPD administrative investigation and those statements given to DPD could potentially compromise the criminal investigation.
“That is not a risk I am willing to take. We cannot let the criminal case be determined on a ’technicality’ rather than the facts. An exhaustive and thorough criminal investigation is essential, and as soon as we are assured that conducting an administrative investigation will not impede on the criminal investigation, we will proceed.”
~Chief U. RENEÉ HALL
Updated September 8, 2018 at 8:10 p.m.:
Officer Amber Guyger #10702 is the involved officer and has been on the department four years. She is assigned to the Southeast Patrol Division.
Updated September 8, 2018 at 3:50 p.m.:
The following is an update to the fatal shooting that occurred on Thursday evening at the South Side Flats, 1210 S. Lamar Street.
As Dallas Police Chief Renee Hall said during yesterday’s news conference, she made the decision on Friday morning based on the evidence gathered up to that point to seek a warrant for manslaughter.
The Texas Rangers were requested to conduct the investigation to eliminate the appearance of any potential bias.
When the Rangers arrived, the investigation was turned over to them and they made the decision to postpone pursuing a warrant, until they could follow up on information that they received from the interview with the officer.
The Texas Rangers will take the appropriate time to review the vast amount of evidence and information secured by Dallas Police Department investigators. This will allow them to be thorough in their decision as to how to move forward.
“On behalf of the Dallas Police Department, we are continuing to pray for Mr. Jean’s family,” said Chief Hall, “and ask that the community remain patient as this investigation is conducted.
The Dallas Police Department will continue to provide updates on the investigation in coordination with the Texas Rangers.
Updated September 7, 2018 at 12:55 p.m.:
Chief Hall provided the following update about the officer involved shooting at 1210 S. Lamar Street during a press conference this afternoon:
I want to give you details of what we know so far and to clear up some inconsistencies that have already been reported.
Last night, 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. Botham Shem Jean inside the apartment.
It’s not clear what the interaction was between her and the victim.
Then at some point she fired her weapon striking the victim.
She called 911 – officers responded in about four minutes. Dallas Fire Rescue also responded and took Mr. Jean to the hospital where he later died.
At the very early stages of this investigation – initial indications were that they were what we consider circumstances of an officer involved shooting.
However, as we continued this investigation it became clear that we were dealing with what appears to be a much different and very unique situation.
Therefore, we have ceased handling it under our normal 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.
I’ve spoken with the family expressed my condolences and reassured them that we are working diligently and that we have invited an outside agency to investigate.
Right now there are more questions than answers. We understand the concerns of the community. That is why we are working as vigorously and meticulously as we can to ensure the integrity of the case and the department is upheld.
In doing so – we hope to bring understanding to the family.
We ask that you work alongside us as we move through this process.
As a result of the information above, an arrest warrant is being obtained for the officer involved in this incident.
Original Post:
On September 6, 2018 at about 9:59 p.m., an off duty Dallas Police officer called police dispatch and said she was involved in a shooting at the apartments located at 1210 S. Lamar.
Preliminary information suggests that the officer arrived home in full uniform after working a full shift. The officer reported to the responding officers that she entered the victim’s apartment believing that it was her own. At some point, the officer fired her weapon striking the victim. Responding officers administered aid to the victim, a 26-year-old male, at the scene. The victim was then transported to the hospital and pronounced deceased. Next of kin notification has not been made at this time.
The officer was not injured and will be placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
The Dallas Police Department is conducting a joint investigation with the District Attorney’s Office. This investigation is ongoing and we will release additional details as they become available and it is appropriate to do so.
This incident will be documented on case number 198543-2018.