Killing of Atatiana Jefferson
Atatiana Koquice Jefferson, a 28-year-old woman, was fatally shot inside her home by a police officer in Fort Worth, Texas, United States, in the early morning of October 12, 2019. Police arrived at her home after a neighbor called a non-emergency number, stating that Jefferson's front door was open. Police body camera footage showed officers walking outside the home with flashlights for a few minutes then one officer yells, "Put your hands up! Show me your hands!", while discharging his weapon through a window. Police found a handgun near Jefferson's body, which according to her eight-year-old nephew, she was pointing toward the window before being shot. On October 14, 2019, Officer Aaron Dean, the shooter, resigned from the Fort Worth Police Department and was arrested on a murder charge. On December 20, 2019, Dean was indicted for murder. Jefferson was black and the officer who shot her is white, prompting news outlets to compare Jefferson's shooting to the September 2018 murder of Botham Jean in nearby Dallas.
| Killing of Atatiana Jefferson | |
|---|---|
| Part of police brutality in the United States | |
Location of Fort Worth within Tarrant County and within Texas | |
Fort Worth Fort Worth (Texas) Fort Worth Fort Worth (the United States) | |
| Location | Fort Worth, Texas, U.S. |
| Date | October 12, 2019 c. 2:30 a.m. (MDT) |
Attack type | Homicide by shooting, police brutality, manslaughter |
| Filmed by | Police body-worn camera |
| Weapon | Handgun |
| Victim | Atatiana Koquice Jefferson, aged 28 |
| Perpetrator | Aaron Dean |
| Verdict | Guilty on the lesser included offense of manslaughter |
| Convictions | Manslaughter |
| Charges | Murder
|
| Sentence | 11 years, 10 months, and 12 days in prison |
On December 15, 2022, Dean was found guilty on the lesser offense of manslaughter. He was sentenced to 11 years, 10 months, and 12 days of imprisonment.