TX - Atatiana Jefferson, 28, fatally shot at home, Fort Worth, Oct 2019 *officer charged*

[Tssiemer]

I’m not a cop. I don’t play one on tv. I’ve worked with cops. I have family who are cops. I have cops as clients (I’m a therapist) From what I hear from those who are willing to speak on it, and some aren’t, it seems SOMEONE was going to get shot that night. It was like two freight trains on the same track heading towards each other. Two armed, highly emotional aroused people on a collision course.
To which I add: one supposedly had training on how to handle these situations.
Did the training fail?

 

[stephlovescheese]

the squeaking wheel gets the oil

I wish I could like this one million times- absolutely agree! Many dislike Merritt, but this guy makes very public what might otherwise be swept under the rug.

 

[Wishbone]

I’m not a cop. I don’t play one on tv. I’ve worked with cops. I have family who are cops. I have cops as clients (I’m a therapist) From what I hear from those who are willing to speak on it, and some aren’t, it seems SOMEONE was going to get shot that night. It was like two freight trains on the same track heading towards each other. Two armed, highly emotional aroused people on a collision course.
To which I add: one supposedly had training on how to handle these situations.
Did the training fail?

If she was emotionally aroused, it was with just cause. I know I wouldn't be calmly watching someone prowl around my house with a flashlight shining into my windows at 2:30 in the morning. That they were up to no good would be my first thought. He never announced he was the POLICE.

 

[Wishbone]

I wish I could like this one million times- absolutely agree! Many dislike Merritt, but this guy makes very public what might otherwise be swept under the rug.

I totally agree

 

[Medstudies]

Do you really want me to answer that?

I felt that when Amber Guyger stormed into a private citizen's home, and shot him, it would be a no brainer on the murder conviction. Fortunately, she was convicted.

When Mr. French and his parents were shot, by an off duty police officer, at Costco, that the officer would be charged. Didn't happen.

This time, another citizen was killed by an officer. Officer charged.

The problem is that this does happen, and it seems like the only cases that get any attention are the ones that Mr. Lee Merritt decides to bring forward.

Sigh, you are so right. The Costo shooting (et al) was a complete mockery of justice.If it had been a non-LE shooter it would have been a completely different sitch.
(MOO)
Edit: grrr, I’m so tired of cover-ups. Excuses. Victim blaming. The acceptance that LE can kill with impunity because it was someone else and they probably did something to deserve it, is just wrong.

 

[WichitaFalls]

So much collateral damage . . . this poor man breaks my heart.
'I'm devastated,' says neighbor who called police before Atatiana Jefferson was shot, killed by officer

FORT WORTH, Texas — James Smith never thought a simple call to police to check on his neighbor would lead to her death.

"I am devastated," he said. "And people say, 'Well, James, it's not your fault.' But I made the call. I made the call because I thought they were going to do what I called them to do, check on my neighbor, and they didn't do that."

More at link . . .
'I'm devastated,' says neighbor who called police before Atatiana Jefferson was shot, killed by officer

 

[Gardenista]

I wish I could like this one million times- absolutely agree! Many dislike Merritt, but this guy makes very public what might otherwise be swept under the rug.

IMO, he's a disgusting opportunist.

 

[WichitaFalls]

Who is Aaron Dean and what might his attempted defense be?
DALLAS — We know that Aaron Dean was a police officer in Fort Worth for only a year and a half, that he's 35 years old and he's a 2011 UT Arlington graduate.

Other clues to his background might have come from his Facebook page, but it has been deleted and is no longer online. Before it disappeared, however, the general public did find it and filled comment sections with death threats and other vulgar language.

His legal team, sought through the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas, says they have no comment either. Jim Lane, who tells WFAA that he has been asked to represent Dean, also represented former Balch Springs police officer Roy Oliver. Convicted of murder, Oliver is now serving 15 years for the shooting death of 15-year-old Jordan Edwards. Edwards was a passenger in a car leaving a party back in 2017.

As for what the former Fort Worth officer's defense might be for shooting into Atatiana Jefferson's house though a backyard window, attorney and former judge Rob Cañas agrees with the statement of Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price.

Link . . .
Who is Aaron Dean and what might his attempted defense be?

 

[Charlot123]

Do you really want me to answer that?

I felt that when Amber Guyger stormed into a private citizen's home, and shot him, it would be a no brainer on the murder conviction. Fortunately, she was convicted.

When Mr. French and his parents were shot, by an off duty police officer, at Costco, that the officer would be charged. Didn't happen.

This time, another citizen was killed by an officer. Officer charged.

The problem is that this does happen, and it seems like the only cases that get any attention are the ones that Mr. Lee Merritt decides to bring forward.

BBM. The off duty police officer that opened fire at Costco should have been treated like any regular citizen who would open fire at Costco. It is not only about Mr. French or his mother (or father), it is also about endangering the customers at Costco.

This article Are Cops Properly Trained To Deal With People With Disabilities?

Raises reasonable questions...

Seems that this group, developmentally disabled, are a huge risk group everywhere. And even the wrongful death settlements might be lower in these cases.

Swedish court acquits police who killed man with Down's syndrome

 

[CrimeDawg123]

Who is Aaron Dean and what might his attempted defense be?
DALLAS — We know that Aaron Dean was a police officer in Fort Worth for only a year and a half, that he's 35 years old and he's a 2011 UT Arlington graduate.

Other clues to his background might have come from his Facebook page, but it has been deleted and is no longer online. Before it disappeared, however, the general public did find it and filled comment sections with death threats and other vulgar language.

His legal team, sought through the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas, says they have no comment either. Jim Lane, who tells WFAA that he has been asked to represent Dean, also represented former Balch Springs police officer Roy Oliver. Convicted of murder, Oliver is now serving 15 years for the shooting death of 15-year-old Jordan Edwards. Edwards was a passenger in a car leaving a party back in 2017.

As for what the former Fort Worth officer's defense might be for shooting into Atatiana Jefferson's house though a backyard window, attorney and former judge Rob Cañas agrees with the statement of Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price.

Link . . .
Who is Aaron Dean and what might his attempted defense be?

His defense? Why, he was in fear for his life, of course! /s

 

[Hraefn]

His defense? Why, he was in fear for his life, of course! /s

Right. We all have the script memorized at this point.

 

[Charlot123]

So much collateral damage . . . this poor man breaks my heart.
'I'm devastated,' says neighbor who called police before Atatiana Jefferson was shot, killed by officer

FORT WORTH, Texas — James Smith never thought a simple call to police to check on his neighbor would lead to her death.

"I am devastated," he said. "And people say, 'Well, James, it's not your fault.' But I made the call. I made the call because I thought they were going to do what I called them to do, check on my neighbor, and they didn't do that."

More at link . . .
'I'm devastated,' says neighbor who called police before Atatiana Jefferson was shot, killed by officer

I feel very sorry for him, as well as for Atatiana’s nephew.

 

[Boxer]

Dbm

 

[Momof4RN]

Manny Ramirez, the president of the Fort Worth Police Officers Association, said that police officers approach open structure calls prepared for any number of situations: a burglar in the house, doors left open by residents, abandonment. Still, Officer Ramirez said that everyone he had spoken to within the department was dumbfounded as to why Mr. Dean opened fire.

“He’s such a young officer, not in age, but just young in tenure,” Officer Ramirez said. “It’s one of those things where we’re all at a loss and there’s no way to explain it. We can’t understand how this happened.”

[...]

Police response protocols vary, but Officer Steve Grammas, the president of the Las Vegas Police Protective Association, said that in most cases a call from someone concerned about a neighbor not answering the phone would most likely result in a door-knock from officers. If someone called about two doors open in the middle of the night, however, officers might immediately consider that the house was being burglarized, Officer Grammas said.

“It’s definitely more than just, ‘I’ll go see if the homeowners are O.K.,” he said. “You’re thinking maybe a break-in, maybe worse.” The calls that result in an open structure dispatch may sound similar to those that result in a welfare check, but the classification matters, Officer Grammas said. “They’re two different frames of mind for the officer,” he said.

‘No Excuse’: Fellow Officers Condemn Police Shooting of Fort Worth Woman

 

[Charlot123]

A very good article

Police Should Not Be Able to Use ‘Split-Second Decision’ Defense When They Create the Crisis | National Review

If you push links, you can see Atatiana’s, Philando Castile’s and Daniel Shaver’s murders . (A couple of more, too). I forgot about Shaver’s video. Who in his right mind can understand, much less follow, hysterical, senseless instructions of that armed cop? (Shaver was a pest exterminator who had a pellet gun for pests...).

ETA: from the article:

"There is no greater violation of liberty than the loss of your own life in your own home at the hands of misguided, panicky, or poorly trained agents of the state. Absent compelling evidence not yet revealed to the public, it appears that the man who killed Atatiana Jefferson committed a criminal act. He deserves to face criminal justice."

from another article by the same author.

"Moreover, this (McCoy's) incident helped illustrate why police kill too many Americans: Their poor tactics and unwise choices place burdens on troubled, impaired, or confused civilians that can make tragedy inevitable."

 

[wary]

Fox News Senior Judicial Analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano said Tuesday that former Fort Worth police officer Aaron Dean will have to prove to the jury that he had a "justifiable fear in his mind of physical harm" after killing 28-year-old Atatiana Jefferson in her mother's home while responding to a call on Saturday.

Appearing on "America's Newsroom" with anchor Bill Hemmer, Napolitano explained that the claim would require Dean to demonstrate to the jury that he had that fear of harm to himself and that the "only way to address that fear was the use of physical force."

"This is a subjective test, meaning: 'Did the fear exist in his mind?' Not an objective test. The question is not, 'Was the fear rational?' The question is, 'Did the fear exist?'" he asked.
Former Fort Worth police officer must prove he had 'justifiable fear in his mind,' Judge Napolitano says

Is that Texas law? In the cases I’ve heard of, a self-defense claim has to pass the ‘what a reasonable person would think’ test.

 

[Charlot123]

Is that Texas law? In the cases I’ve heard of, a self-defense claim has to pass the ‘what a reasonable person would think’ test.

I think any reasonable person might be scared of the unknown/unclear situation. The neighbor said it was not typical, and was obviously scared to check himself. The dispatcher said it was an open structure situation. Could have been a robbery. So the fear, I understand.

However, they could have called a SWAT team, or asked their boss for an advice. Or asked the dispatcher for the cell phone number of the house owner to give her a call. Or maybe, they could walk back to their cars and switch on the lights. Instead, they made the wrong decision, to prowl around, and the owner paid with her life for it.

 

[nrdsb4]

I wish I could like this one million times- absolutely agree! Many dislike Merritt, but this guy makes very public what might otherwise be swept under the rug.

The problem is he doesn't necessarily give a flying flip about the truth. The Sherita Dixon-Cole incident is an example. He and Shaun King went in guns blazing "to make public" an act by a police officer that never happened. He didn't bother to do the required due diligence before he and King went national, accusing an officer by name with a false accusation that sounded like something out of Penthouse magazine. He almost ruined a man's life. Another officer with the same last name also received death threats. Merritt did eventually publicly apologize for his role in the fiasco, Shaun King sort of apologized (though I don't know if either apologized directly to the officer involved, who received death threats and will forever be tied to the false, salacious account of a sexual assault thanks to the internet). Sherita Dixon-Cole accuses Merritt of lying about being her attorney, insisting she neither hired him nor asked him to speak for her.

The whole thing was disgusting and I haven't believed a word either man says without outside validation ever since.

 

[sds71]

Atatiana Onsite Jefferson Home Going Service Locations for Both Services Potter’s House of Dallas 6777 W. Kiest Blvd Dallas, TX 75236 Wake: Friday, October 18, 2019 @ 7pm Funeral: Saturday, October 19, 2019 @ 2pm (Open to Public)

 

[Medstudies]

The officer had a right and a duty to defend himself, the other officer and the public. It's very tragic.

Well apparently the chief, mayor, and majority feel otherwise. We’ll see soon about the jury and judge