Killing of Atatiana Jefferson

Killing of Atatiana Jefferson
Part of police brutality in the United States
Location of Fort Worth within Tarrant County and within Texas
Fort Worth is located in Texas
Fort Worth
Fort Worth
Fort Worth (Texas)
Fort Worth is located in the United States
Fort Worth
Fort Worth
Fort Worth (the United States)
LocationFort Worth, Texas, U.S.
DateOctober 12, 2019; 4 years ago (2019-10-12)
c. 2:30 a.m. (CDT)
Attack type
Homicide by shooting, police brutality, manslaughter
Filmed byPolice body-worn camera
WeaponHandgun
VictimAtatiana Koquice Jefferson, aged 28
PerpetratorAaron Dean
VerdictGuilty on the lesser included offense of manslaughter
ConvictionsManslaughter
ChargesMurder
Sentence11 years, 10 months, and 12 days in prison[a]

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.[1][2] Police arrived at her home after a neighbor called a non-emergency number, stating that Jefferson's front door was open.[2] 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.[2] 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.[3][2][4] On October 14, 2019, Officer Aaron Dean, the shooter, resigned from the Fort Worth Police Department and was arrested on a murder charge.[5][6] On December 20, 2019, Dean was indicted for murder.[7][8] 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.[1][5][9][10][11]

On December 15, 2022, Dean was found guilty on the lesser offense of manslaughter.[12] He was sentenced to 11 years, 10 months, and 12 days of imprisonment,[13] an apparent reference by the jury to the month and day of the incident. [14]


Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).

  1. ^ a b "Fort Worth police officer fatally shoots woman in her own home". CBS News. October 12, 2019. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d Chavez, Nicole; Silverman, Hollie (October 13, 2019). "A woman was shot and killed by a Fort Worth police officer in her own home". CNN. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
  3. ^ Branham, Dana; Emily, Jennifer (October 15, 2019). "Atatiana Jefferson pointed gun at window before Fort Worth officer killed her, nephew told authorities". Dallas News. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
  4. ^ "Black woman shot dead by Texas police through bedroom window". BBC. October 13, 2019. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
  5. ^ a b "Fort Worth, Texas, police officer who fatally shot Atatiana Jefferson resigns". NBC News. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  6. ^ "Murder charge follows resignation of Fort Worth officer who shot woman in her home". Fort Worth Star Telegram. October 14, 2019. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference CNN_indict was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference CBS_indict was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Yan, Holly; Vera, Amir; Jones, Sheena (October 14, 2019). "Former Fort Worth police officer charged with murder for killing Atatiana Jefferson in her own home". CNN. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
  10. ^ Hawkins, Derek; Paul, Deanna (October 14, 2019). "Fort Worth officer who fatally shot woman in her home has been charged with murder, police say". Washington Post. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
  11. ^ Allyn, Bobby (October 13, 2019). "Fort Worth Officer Kills Woman In Her Bedroom In Response To 'Open Structure Call'". NPR. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
  12. ^ Sanchez, Bill Kirkos,Ray (December 15, 2022). "Former Texas police officer found guilty of manslaughter for the shooting death of Atatiana Jefferson at her home". CNN. Retrieved December 15, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  13. ^ Russon, Cathy [@cathyrusson] (December 20, 2022). "BREAKING: Jury recommends 11 years, 10 months, 12 days in TX v #AaronDean. #AtatianaJefferson" (Tweet). Archived from the original on December 21, 2022. Retrieved December 26, 2022 – via Twitter.
  14. ^ Miranda, Suarez (April 30, 2024). "Former Fort Worth police officer Aaron Dean asks state's highest criminal court to review his case". KERA News. Retrieved July 6, 2024.