Former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger was ordered by a jury to pay $98 million for using excessive force in the fatal shooting of Botham Jean in his home six years ago. This civil verdict came five years after Guyger was convicted of murder in 2018 and sentenced to a decade in prison. Guyger did not attend the trial and did not have a lawyer present, citing financial constraints.
The jury found that Guyger acted with malice in Jean’s killing and awarded his family $60 million in punitive damages, along with an additional $38 million in compensatory damages. The family had sought $54 million in damages. Guyger, who off-duty but in uniform, mistakenly entered Jean’s apartment, believing it was her own, and fatally shot him as he ate ice cream in his living room.
The verdict was hailed by Jean’s family and legal team as a “powerful testament to Botham’s life and the profound injustice of his death.” They emphasized the importance of addressing racial bias and police accountability in this case. The family had described Guyger’s actions as clearly excessive and unreasonable in a federal complaint filed in 2018.
Guyger, who is white, expressed remorse during her criminal trial, stating that she never intended to harm an innocent person and was acting out of fear. Jean, a Black man, was described as an innocent victim of the tragic incident.
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