Ex-Cop Amber Guyger Ordered to Pay Nearly $100 Million to Botham Jean’s Family After Fatal 2018 Shooting

A federal jury has delivered a landmark verdict in the case of former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger, ordering her to pay nearly $100 million to the family of Botham Jean, the unarmed Black man she fatally shot in his apartment in 2018.

The jury awarded $98.6 million to Jean’s estate and his parents, Allison and Bertrum Jean, with $60 million allocated for punitive damages. This verdict is significant as it highlights the use of excessive force by Guyger and underscores the issue of police brutality.

Guyger, who is currently serving a 10-year prison sentence for Jean’s murder, had testified that she mistakenly entered Jean’s apartment, believing it was her own, and thought he was an intruder. Despite her claims, the jury concluded that she used excessive force and acted under the color of law when she killed the 26-year-old, who was sitting on his couch eating ice cream at the time of the shooting.

The family’s attorney, Daryl Washington, emphasized the importance of the verdict, stating that it “sends a message loud and clear that police brutality is not going to be accepted.” He also noted that such verdicts have the potential to save lives by making police officers more cautious before using deadly force.

Guyger was fired from the Dallas Police Department after the incident and was later found guilty of murder. She was denied parole earlier this fall. The shooting drew widespread attention due to its circumstances and its place among several high-profile shootings of Black men by white police officers.

The verdict is seen as a powerful statement on police accountability and racial bias. The family’s legal team stated that the verdict “stands as a powerful testament to Botham’s life and the profound injustice of his death,” and it “lays bare critical issues of racial bias and police accountability that cannot be ignored”).