Dallas Police: No Answers On Detaining Homeowners

No Answers

The Dallas Police Department had no answers to why the detained lawful homeowners in their own home in an incident that reminds the public of the Botham Jean incident.

No Answers

According to a news report by Fox5, Dallas police mistakenly assumed a mother and her son were burglars and detained them while they were in their own home.

One neightbor described the incident as being detained for “being black and owning a home.”

No Answers Again For Citizens Asking Why

Dallas Police have not returned telephone calls or emails, but the incident harkens back to the Botham Jean incident where a man was murdered by then Dallas Police Officer Amber Guyger. Her case is still in appeal.

It also makes Dallas area residents nervous about the ability of DPD to do their job without assaulting citizens or the protests that result from these examples where judgement is not obvious.

The incident is a reminder of the short fuses DPD has when it comes to being asked questions by citizens while officers often go without accountability including Sgt. Melvin Williams.

Chief Garcia’s office has been noticeably silent after repeated requests for comment on a number of issues. A Public Information Officer noted that DPD has not been able to “determine if an administrative investigation is warranted.”

Amber Guyger Conviction Upheld

Amber Guyger Conviction Upheld

Dallas Police Department officer’s Amber Guyger conviction upheld in the Fifth Court of Appeals. Guyger shot and killed her neighbor Botham Jean, inside his own apartment in 2018, failed in this first murder conviction appeal.

Amber Guyger Conviction Upheld

Guyger is serving a ten year sentence for the murder of Botham Jean.

Jean, a Black man who lived in the same apartment building as Guyger was eating ice cream in his apartment when she entered and shot him in September 2018.

Amber Guyger Conviction Upheld

Guyger, who is white, testified that she thought she was entering her own apartment and thought Jean was an intruder. She was later fired from the Dallas Police Department after the shooting.

Guyger’s lawyers argued her 2019 trial was not enough to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Guyger committed murder. Their argument was she had a “reasonable belief” that she was in her own apartment. If jurors believed she had a “reasonable belief” she was in her own home, she would have been allowed to use deadly force in self-defense.

Guyger can still raise the case to Texas’ Court of Criminal Appeals, but Thursday’s ruling is a setback to Guyger’s attempt to receive a reduced sentence. As it stands, she could be eligible for parole as soon as 2024.

There has been no public comment from Dallas Police Association (DPA) or its President Mike Mata. After the incident, Mata was accused of tampering with evidence after he aked that a police cruiser camera be turned off while he spoke to Guyger.

Mata was not charged by a Grand Jury who heard evidence and was cleared of any wrong doing. At the time he sadi he welcomed an Internal Affairs investigation believing he would receive the exoneration he ended up receiving through the court system.

During the Guyger murder trial, prosecutors used security camera video to suggest the DPA acted improperly when Mata arrived on the scene after the shooting.

Other Side Dallas has been covering Dallas Police misconduct since its founding and will continue to do so.