DALLAS — A white Dallas police officer who said she mistook a black neighbor’s apartment for her own fatally shot that person and will be charged with manslaughter, police said Friday.

It was not clear what the officer may have said to 26-year-old Botham Jean after entering his home late Thursday. But given what investigators currently know about the case, they decided to pursue the manslaughter charge, authorities said.

“Right now, there are more questions than we have answers,” Police Chief U. Renee Hall told a news conference. She said she spoke to Jean’s sister to express the department’s condolences to the family.

Botham Jean

It was also unclear if the officer was in custody, though Hall said she did not know the whereabouts of the officer, whose name has not been released.

According to police, the officer returned home in her uniform after her shift. She called dispatch to report that she had shot a man, and she later told the officers who responded that she believed the victim’s apartment was her own when she entered it.

The responding officers administered first aid to Jean, a native of the Caribbean island country of St. Lucia who attended college in Arkansas and worked for accounting and consulting firm PwC. Jean was taken to a hospital, where he died.

Hall said the officer’s blood was drawn to be tested for drugs and alcohol. She declined to speculate as to whether fatigue or other factors, including race, may have factored into the shooting. She also said the Texas Rangers will conduct an independent investigation.

Authorities have not said how the officer got into Jean’s home, or whether his door was open or unlocked. The apartment complex is just a few blocks from Dallas police headquarters.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.