Wednesday marks 5 years since Botham Jean’s murder in Dallas
DALLAS - Family and friends of a man shot and killed by a Dallas police officer five years ago are encouraging people to spread acts of service and kindness in his honor.
Botham Jean died on Sept. 6, 2018.
Former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger shot him after walking into his apartment, believing it was her own.
Guyger, who is the only defendant named in a federal lawsuit filed on behalf of the Jean family, is now serving a 10-year prison sentence for the murder.
Jean’s sister, Allisa Charles-Findley, released a book this week detailing her healing process over the past five years.
Botham Jean's sister shares story of her family's grief in new book
The sister of Botham Jean, the man who was murdered by former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger, is sharing her family’s story of grief in a new book.
The Botham Jean Foundation has coined the phrase "Be Like Bo" to ask people to make Wednesday a day of service.
"Can you imagine how I feel when I enter Dallas? It is painful, it is hurtful, and I’m sorry I hate Dallas," Jean’s mother, Allison Jean, said.
Speaking in front of Dallas Police Headquarters, along the street that now bears her son's name, Jean’s mother called out Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson.
"Tell me, is there justice in this city for a family like mine who have just been patient waiting for that one day when we could at least hear something from the city of Dallas, from the mayor, Eric Johnson," she said.
She was in Dallas to mark five years since her son's shooting death.
Attorney for the Jean family, Darryl Washington, said the city of Dallas should be culpable, but something called the Monell doctrine says otherwise.
"It’s a technicality that allows them not to be vicariously libel for the wrongful acts of their officers," Washington explained.
It is unclear if Mayor Johnson is barred from speaking on the case while the lawsuit progresses.
In a court response, the city said it provided 13,000 pages of records and depositions on its police training and that the Jean family has failed to prove the city is liable for the actions of an off-duty officer in this case.
Still, Washington, the Jean family, and community activists believe the city should step up, and in their words, "make it right."
"When we stand here on Botham Jean Boulevard, it’s one of the most hypocritical things I’ve ever seen in my life," Washington said. "Because you have the audacity to name the street, the mayor, about Botham Jean, but yet you have this family, five years later, sitting in the sun. It makes no sense at all."
Wearing "Botham Army" shirts, Allison, who was standing alongside her daughter, said it’s not about money, but respect.
"As I have every fiber in my body, I will fight for justice for Botham," she said.