Source: James C Hooper / Getty
34-year-old Aaron Dean, former Fort Worth policeman was booked in the Tarrant County Jail, and effectively charged with murder according to the New York Times.
This past weekend details emerged surround an incident where Dean was alleged to have fatally shot 28-year-old Atatiana Jefferson through the window of her own bedroom while in response to a call from a neighbor asking the police to perform a welfare check. Jefferson was shot and killed while playing video games with her nephew.
Prior to his booking, Dean opted to resign from his position on the police force, perhaps in anticipation of his charges coming later. The Fort Worth Police Department didn’t clarify whether he was arrested, or turned himself in. Police Chief Ed Kraus has stated publicly, that there was a meeting scheduled for Monday morning, and had Dean not quit, he was indeed going to be fired by the Interim Chief. Kraus also said that his record will show that Dean was dishonorably discharged from the force. The chief continued to say that the department will conduct an internal investigation as though Dean was still an officer.
Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price said on Monday that the killing of Jefferson was unjustified. “I’m so sorry, on behalf of the entire city of Fort Worth, I’m sorry. To Atatiana’s family, it’s unacceptable. There is nothing that can justify what happened on Saturday morning. Nothing.”
Police responded to Jefferson’s house around 2:30 a.m. Saturday following a call from a neighbor who was concerned that her doors were open in the middle of the night.
That neighbor, James Smith, told the Forth Worth Star Telegram he called the non-emergency line and asked for a safety check.
Upon arrival, officers noticed a person standing inside the house near a window, that person was Atatiana Jefferson. Dean then yelled “put your hands up! Show me your hands!” And almost before he could finish his sentence he fired one shot through the window.
According to the New York Times, Krause made it abundantly clear he had regrets that police department released photos of a gun located on the floor, beneath the window of the bedroom that Jefferson was shot, and killed in. Krause did not offer comment on if she was holding the weapon, or if Dean saw the weapon prior to shooting through the window. The family says Jefferson legally obtained the firearm, and was licensed to carry.
