Murder of Atatiana Jefferson By A White Cop

Taken+from+the+New+York+Times.+

Taken from the New York Times.

Winta Tekle, Sahuaro News Editor

Atatiana Jefferson was shot and killed in her home by a police officer. The incident happened in Forth Worth, Texas, around 2 A.M on October 12th. Edited cam footage was released, showing that police officer, Aaron Dean, stood in Jefferson’s backyard and shot through her window. The video shows the officer shine a light on different parts of the house, upon noticing a person watching him from within the home, he yelled, “Put your hands up. Show me your hands!” Dean did not announce he was a police officer before shooting nor did he wait for a response before he fired a shot into the home.

On October 14, the officer who shot Jefferson resigned hours before he was set to be terminated. He was charged with murder that same day, but has been released on bond since then. Amidst all this, Interim Fort Worth Police Chief Ed Kraus told reporters on Monday that he has asked the FBI to also look into the shooting for potential civil rights violations.

This incident put the spotlight on the Fort Worth Police Department, highlighting the mishandling of local police shootings and high-profile incidents of excessive force. “This is not an isolated incident,” said the Rev. Kyev Tatum, who’s a part of the coalition asking the Justice Department to investigate “over-aggressive policing” in Forth Worth’s communities of color. Before Atatiana, there have been a slew of black people killed at the expense of police officers. The murder of Atatiana Jefferson marks the sixth fatal police shooting in Fort Worth since June, and marks the 717th fatal police shooting in 2019.

Funeral services for Ataitiana were held on October 24th in Dallas.