Dallas City Council approves renaming street after Botham Jean

DALLAS - The Dallas City Council voted unanimously to rename four miles of Lamar Street to Botham Jean Boulevard in honor of the man killed by an off-duty officer inside his own home.

The renamed portion of the street will include his former apartment building and the Dallas Police Department headquarters.

The unanimous vote to change the street name came after a few councilmembers expressed reservations.

There was a proposal to defer the vote until litigation with the Jean family was resolved, but that failed four to 11.

Botham Jean was shot and killed by an off-duty Dallas police officer while eating ice cream in his own apartment the night of Sept. 6, 2018.

The officer Amber Guyger testified that she mistook the apartment for her own and believed Jean was an intruder.

Nineteen people spoke Wednesday to Dallas council members about the name change. The majority were in favor of the honor, but some said it would be unfair to Dallas police officers who were not responsible for the tragedy.

In the end, Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson made a rare move to implore his colleagues to vote in favor of the change.

"One wish is that Botham's name will be remembered and never ever be forgotten," said Allison Jean, Botham’s mother. "The renaming of Lamar Street is one way in which he can be honored. This street on which he chose to live and the street on which he died can serve as a lasting memory of the upstanding resident who loved Dallas so much."

"I am imploring this council to seriously think about the message we want to send as a city having this family participate in this process, tuned in from overseas and around the country watching us today and putting that family through any more pain than they’ve been through," Mayor Johnson said.

Dallas City Councilman Casey Thomas said the fact that the murder took place on the same street where the Dallas Police Department is headquartered has nothing to do with sending a message to DPD.

The Jean family approached city council members about the name change.

A memo says the goal of the name change is to show citizens of Dallas that his death was not in vain and show the world his life mattered.

READ MORE: Botham Jean Shooting