Dallas police seeking warrant for officer who fatally shot neighbor in his apartment

Dallas police say they are seeking an arrest warrant for an officer who fatally shot her neighbor after entering his home.

The officer, who is white and has not been identified by police, thought she was entering her own apartment when she shot 26-year-old Botham Jean, who is black, police said, according to a report by CBS News. The officer reportedly believed Jean was an intruder in her home. 

Chief Renee Hall of the Dallas Police Department said Friday, according to CBS News, that the department will seek a warrant for manslaughter to arrest the officer.

 {mosads}Hall added that the officer, who has been taken into custody by the Texas Rangers, had been questioned only at the scene, where officers took blood samples to determine if drugs or alcohol were involved in the shooting.

Jean was pronounced dead Thursday night at a Dallas hospital, according to CBS.

“We were dealing with what appears to be a very unique situation,” Hall said at a Friday press conference, according to The New York Times. “Right now, there are more questions than we have answers.”

It was unclear initially how the officer entered Jean’s home, or why she mistook it for her own residence. His death sparked an outpouring of support and demand for police accountability on Twitter and Facebook, including in his home country, St. Lucia, according to the Times.

“So getting this straight, you ‘accidentally’ walk into someone else’s apt (how do you get in?) shoot them dead, realize then it wasn’t your apt, be like ‘oh my bad’? Y’all had identical furniture & family photos? #BothamShemJean,” tweeted The Roots drummer Questlove on Friday.

So getting this straight, you “accidentally” walk into someone else’s apt (how do you get in?) shoot them dead, realize then it wasn’t your apt, be like “oh my bad”? Y’all had identical furniture & family photos? #BothamShemJean https://t.co/wVi10aqsm9

— Glasper’s Beef Patty Chef (@questlove) September 7, 2018

“Dallas cop mistakes someone’s else apartment for hers and shoots the tenant DEAD. Yes, a true story that took an innocent, young Black man’s life. Black people aren’t even safe in the privacy of their homes. Enraging. Unacceptable. Get LOUD,” added Women’s March organizer Linda Sarsour in her own message.

Dallas cop mistakes someone’s else apartment for hers and shoots the tenant DEAD. Yes, a true story that took an innocent, young Black man’s life. Black people aren’t even safe in the privacy of their homes. Enraging. Unacceptable. Get LOUD. #BlackLivesMatter #BothamShemJean pic.twitter.com/8WuUjYQr3E

— Linda Sarsour (@lsarsour) September 7, 2018