Who is Aaron Dean? Fort Worth officer Goes For Trial Three Years Later For The Death Of Atatiana Jefferson There is now a better understanding of what transpired on October 12, 2019, more than 1,100 days after it happened.
After Atatiana Jefferson was killed by Aaron Dean, the blue home on East Allen Avenue was taped off as a crime scene more than three years ago when James Smith called the police to ask about his neighbor. The former Fort Worth police officer’s trial is scheduled to start this week.
There is now a better understanding of what transpired on October 12, 2019, more than 1,100 days after it happened.
What Happened Between Aaron Dean and Jefferson
James Smith, Jefferson’s next-door neighbor, called the police at 2:25 a.m. and asked them to check on Jefferson to see if he was okay.
Smith answered the phone and stated, “They’re typically home, but they’ve never had both of the front doors open.” They shouldn’t have both doors open for such a prolonged period of time at this hour.
In a subsequent interview, Smith would state, “I explained on the conversation that wasn’t any type of violence going on, any time of disagreements going on.” “It was just a neighborly concern,” At 2:29 a.m., Officer Aaron Dean arrived at the residence.
The 36-year-old cop, who had only joined a year earlier in April, is seen on his body camera video looking through the front door before moving to the side. The wood doors were open but the two screen doors were closed.
Zion, her 8-year-old nephew, and Jefferson, who had moved inside to take care of her elderly mother, were playing computer games indoors.
Dean enters the house and stays there for about a minute without making any noise or identifying himself as a police officer. According to court records, Atatiana grabbed her revolver and opened the blinds when she heard someone skulking around in her garden.
“Raise your hands! I want to see your hands. Dean quickly yelled. Dean opened fire less than a second after he ordered Jefferson to expose her hands. Atatiana Jefferson was slain by a single shot.
When Dean fired once into the house, the dispatched officer only “saw Jefferson’s face through the window,” according to the warrant. Then-Police Chief Ed Kraus stated in a press conference that “nobody looked at the tape and said there’s any doubt that this officer acted inappropriately.”
James Smith reacted to criticism by saying, “People say it’s not your responsibility, it’s not your fault, but I made a call. I made the call because I assumed they would do what I asked them to do: check on my neighbor.
The body camera video and images of Jefferson’s gun were included in Fort Worth police’s initial press release, but the agency and former mayor Betsy Price later said that was a mistake because Jefferson was inside her own house.
Price remarked, “The gun is immaterial. She was taking care of her 8-year-old nephew at home. Police sleuths were never given a motive by Dean for firing his weapon. Kraus, who retired at the end of 2020, said Dean resigned prior to being let go.
Kraus declared, “I would have fired the officer for multiple infractions, including his use of force rules, if he hadn’t quit.
Aaron Dean’s Arrest
Dean was taken into custody for the shooting on October 14, two days after the death, and released on a $200,000 bond three hours later. Later, he was formally accused of murder.
According to Dr. Michael Bennett of the Tarrant County Local Organizing Committee, “She was at her own residence and they shot and killed her.” “Not only is that unacceptable. That is homicide.
Jefferson, 28, was shot barely two weeks after Amber Guyger, who had been convicted of killing Botham Jean in his apartment, was given a 10-year prison term. Jefferson was the sixth person that Fort Worth police had slain in the course of a five-month period in 2019.
Community members who were angry and afraid crowded city streets and council sessions for protests for weeks. Police made Dean’s disciplinary records and his initial employment interview with Fort Worth PD public three weeks after the shooting.
When asked why he wanted the position, Dean responded, “I wanted to assist my fellow citizens in a very up-close and personal way.
When asked if he could kill later on in the conversation, Dean responds without hesitation. “No issue,” Dean replied.
Dean is questioned about a Class C misdemeanor for “simple assault” during the same interview. While a student at the University of Texas at Arlington, he admitted to caressing a woman’s breast. He was issued a ticket, entered a plea of not guilty, and paid a fine.
The previous simple assault offense was a Class C misdemeanor, according to a statement from Fort Worth police, and it was closely examined during the hiring process.
After Dean’s Arrest
Kim Neal, a police observer, was hired by the city after Jefferson’s passing. Her employment resulted from problems after the contentious arrest of a Fort Worth mother in 2016, not from Jefferson’s passing.
Jefferson’s name continued to be yelled in Fort Worth at demonstrations against the Minneapolis murder of George Floyd through the summer of 2020.
Dean briefly appeared in court in March 2021 for a motion hearing. Following that, Jefferson’s family filed lawsuits in the summer and fall against the city, Dean, and other parties, one of which sought $10 million in damages.
Kraus stated that “her father deemed this shooting senseless.” “I definitely can’t understand why she had to lose her life,” you said. When Judge David Hagerman withdrew from the case in June on allegations of prejudice from Dean’s attorneys, the case was again delayed.
It’s been over three years since James Smith first expressed concern for his neighbor. He said, “I’ve prayed and I’ve cried.” I’m prepared to fight right now. The last time Atatiana Jefferson’s family saw her was more than three years ago.
Her sister Ashley Carr said, “We all just want justice for our loved one.” “We were never given the chance to mourn. It just seems like there is a lot. The trial finally progresses this week.
Mckourage