A jury has ordered Amber Guyger, the former Dallas police officer who shot and killed Botham Jean in his own apartment, to pay $98 million. This verdict comes after the jury found that Guyger used excessive force when she killed Jean six years ago.
In 2018, Guyger was convicted of murder for killing Jean, and she was sentenced to 10 years in prison. However, this recent case was a civil trial, not a criminal one. During the trial, Guyger didn’t show up and didn’t have a lawyer. Her lawyer from the criminal case said she couldn’t afford one.
The jury decided that Guyger acted with “malice” and “reckless indifference” toward Jean’s safety, and as a result, they awarded his family $60 million in punitive damages. They also gave an additional $38 million in compensatory damages for the pain and suffering Jean’s family went through.
Jean’s family had asked for $54 million, and they were pleased with the outcome. They said the verdict was a powerful message about the injustice of Jean’s death and the bigger issues of racial bias and police accountability. “This case laid bare critical issues that cannot be ignored,” they said. “This verdict shows that law enforcement officers who break the law will face consequences.”
The shooting happened on the night of September 6, 2018, when Guyger, who was off-duty but still in her police uniform, returned home after working a long shift. She lived in the apartment complex where Jean lived, just one floor below him. Guyger mistakenly entered Jean’s apartment, thinking it was her own, and found him sitting in his living room eating ice cream. She ordered him to raise his hands, but when Jean moved toward her and yelled, she shot him.
At her trial, Guyger said she never meant to kill anyone and was just scared. She explained that it wasn’t about hate—it was a mistake caused by fear. Guyger is white, while Jean, a 26-year-old accountant from St. Lucia, was Black.
This trial and the jury’s decision have sparked conversation about the need for more accountability for police officers and the impact of racial bias.
