Will Dallas police officer Amber Guyger be fired for killing Botham Jean?
TheGrio has launched a special series called #BlackonBlue to examine the relationship between law enforcement and African-Americans. Our reporters and videographers will investigate police brutality and corruption while also exploring local and national efforts to improve policing in our communities. Join the conversation, or share your own story, using the hashtag #BlackonBlue.
Dallas Police officer Amber Guyger was placed on administrative leave after she killed Botham Jean in his own apartment last week but many are asking why she hasn’t been fired.
Guyger was placed on leave after she turned herself in on manslaughter charges last Sunday and it appears Dallas police are keeping any discussion of her losing her badge on hold until the criminal investigation is complete.
“Without the internal investigation, we won’t even speculate or speak toward Amber’s employment status,” Dallas Police Chief of Staff Thomas Taylor told the Dallas Morning News.
The day after the killing, Dallas Police Chief Renee Hall said that Guyger should be criminally charged, which led to demands that the department fire Guyger.
According to the Dallas Morning News, Dallas cops typically aren’t fired until they have been indicted on a criminal charge.
But in some cases, indictments don’t lead to terminations in the Dallas department. According to the Morning News, three officers remain on the force after being indicted on misdemeanor charges of deadly conduct more than a year after the August 2016 cardiac death of Tony Timpa.
Timpa’s death was ruled a homicide because of the stress associated with physical restraint and the toxic effects of cocaine.
The most high-profile instance of a Dallas area cop being fired after an indictment came when Roy Oliver, the Balch Springs Police officer who killed 15-year-old Jordan Edwards, was fired three days later.
Oliver wasn’t indicted for three months and was ultimately convicted last month in the killing.
A Dallas City Council meeting came to a halt yesterday as protesters, angry over the killing of Botham Jean, took over and demanded justice in the controversial police slaying.
Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings called a sudden recess and left the meeting as chants of “No justice, no peace” rained down on him and the other council members.
“Their anger is the same thing everyone is feeling,” Rawlings told the Dallas Morning News, “that this is a tragedy.”
After the meeting resumed, the council voted to allow protesters to speak at the end, waiving a rule requiring them to register beforehand. The activists demanded changes to city policy to help end police brutality and improve community relations.
You Might Like
