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

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I really would not want to live in a world where neighbors won't look out for each other due to a fear of being "nosy". It's that stigma that allows any crime to flourish, not to mention domestic violence and child abuse. Abusers love nothing more than being left to work their evil in peace, and thrive on people second-guessing themselves on asking questions about an unhappy, underweight child or a spouse with a black eye.

And I for one will not refuse to call the police when I think there is danger. Instead, I will work in my community for de-escalation training and better response to mental health issues. I'm not going to throw up my hands and just decide to mistrust the police to do their job (when so many proudly and bravely carry out their mission to serve and protect). To do so would be to turn my back on the hope and the ideals of the nation I grew up in. However flawed the reality is, it is our job to mold it into what we need it to be. Retreat and apathy are not the way to go, IMO.
 
The order, filed on Friday, says Marquis A. Jefferson is Atatiana's surviving father and that he will suffer immediate and irreparable harm if the court does not stop Bonita Body and Golden Gate Funeral Home from participating in the activities of the wake, funeral and burial of Atatiana Jefferson.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Temporary-Restraining-Order-Filed-to-Stop-Fort-Worth-Womans-Funeral--563414091.html?amp=y

Funeral is postponed.
A judge granted the father
-a stay - so he can be part of the planning .

Lee Merritt, an attorney for Jefferson's family, said Saturday morning that the move was a result of a temporary restraining order that was granted in a Dallas court to stop the funeral.
Merritt said the funeral would be rescheduled after a court hearing Monday in Dallas County.
 
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I’m happy to be in The Nosey Neighbor club. A few years ago, our neighbor across the street wonder out of her home. We all knew of her condition; well we knew the name but really did not know anything about the symptoms of early stages of Alzheimer’s. My kitchen window faces the front of her home. I was at my kitchen window and saw her come out of her home, she started walking down the street, of course I stopped what I was doing and started walking with her. She told me what it was like living in Hawaii when Pearl Harbor was attacked. (very interesting) We walked quite a way when she just stopped and asked me if I minded if we went home now, she said she had made some cookies and she thought they were ready to come out of the oven. So, we turned around and as we were almost to her home her son-in-law was walking up towards us. Another “nosey neighbor” had seen us walking and had called him. She was so happy to see him, now imagine a 98-year-old lady running and yelling “I have cookies in the oven for you”. Well she had made the cookies, fortunately she had forgotten to turn the oven on. I know if I hadn’t seen our neighbor walking another nosey neighbor would have. I’d rather live in a neighborhood where there are nosey neighbors then in one where neighbors will hear/see things and just ignore what they know is not right. And I’m so very happy to live in a country where I have the freedom to choose. I also would not hesitate to call the police.
 
imstilla.grandma said:
"The information came from the neighbor to the call-takers and while it was relayed to the dispatch, it was determined to be an open structure call," Fort Worth interim Police Chief Ed Kraus told reporters on Tuesday.

"You are at a higher sensitivity to what is going on with that house," London said. "You have to be ready for anything. You are taking more of your environment in consideration to be ready for a surprise if there's one."
The first thing that comes to mind is often a burglary -- that's why officers search for signs of forced entry like a broken window or a damaged door.
Fort Worth shooting: Officers weren't asked to do a wellness check. Here's how it changed things - CNN
Click to expand...
So it seems that an open structure call could potentially be a burglary, not that the response for an open structure call is the same as for a burglary per policy.
 
BeachSky said:
The order, filed on Friday, says Marquis A. Jefferson is Atatiana's surviving father and that he will suffer immediate and irreparable harm if the court does not stop Bonita Body and Golden Gate Funeral Home from participating in the activities of the wake, funeral and burial of Atatiana Jefferson.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Temporary-Restraining-Order-Filed-to-Stop-Fort-Worth-Womans-Funeral--563414091.html?amp=y

Funeral is postponed.
A judge granted the father
-a stay - so he can be part of the planning .

Lee Merritt, an attorney for Jefferson's family, said Saturday morning that the move was a result of a temporary restraining order that was granted in a Dallas court to stop the funeral.
Merritt said the funeral would be rescheduled after a court hearing Monday in Dallas County.
Click to expand...

Okay, so this article talks about the aunt, Bonita Body, previously arranging the funeral. So maybe they gave complete control to the father because the mother is too incapacitated to make decisions and the aunt is not her next of kin. That makes sense.
 
It has seemed from early on there is a domestic dispute between Atatiana's parents. Early on I believe her mother said that Mr. Jefferson was not her actual father. I wish these domestic issues could remain private, they cause so much public drama when it is really just those people's business.

What is important is a beautiful celebration of life for Atatiana, a service that really celebrates her as a wonderful person. I hope the family and public can put Atatiana first.
 
“This family, like most families, is dealing with internal disputes, ...” Merritt said in a statement Saturday.

“Good cause exists to limit the right of Bonita Body to control the funeral and burial of Atatiana Jefferson because … Marquis A. Jefferson, as the parent, has priority of the persons that are allowed under the Code to control the decedent’s funeral and burial arrangements,” Marquis Jefferson’s temporary restraining order application states. “Applicant prays that after notice and hearing on this matter, the Court to restrain Bonita Body, Golden Gate Funeral home and others acting in concert with them to control the funeral and burial of Atatiana Jefferson.”
Judge halts Atatiana Jefferson’s funeral amid family dispute
 
So where is Atatiana Jefferson’s Mom? Was Atatiana shot at her Mom's home or her Aunt's home? As if this young lady being murdered wasn't enough, now all this fighting among family. What a mess.
 
grammieto5 said:
I’m happy to be in The Nosey Neighbor club. A few years ago, our neighbor across the street wonder out of her home. We all knew of her condition; well we knew the name but really did not know anything about the symptoms of early stages of Alzheimer’s. My kitchen window faces the front of her home. I was at my kitchen window and saw her come out of her home, she started walking down the street, of course I stopped what I was doing and started walking with her. She told me what it was like living in Hawaii when Pearl Harbor was attacked. (very interesting) We walked quite a way when she just stopped and asked me if I minded if we went home now, she said she had made some cookies and she thought they were ready to come out of the oven. So, we turned around and as we were almost to her home her son-in-law was walking up towards us. Another “nosey neighbor” had seen us walking and had called him. She was so happy to see him, now imagine a 98-year-old lady running and yelling “I have cookies in the oven for you”. Well she had made the cookies, fortunately she had forgotten to turn the oven on. I know if I hadn’t seen our neighbor walking another nosey neighbor would have. I’d rather live in a neighborhood where there are nosey neighbors then in one where neighbors will hear/see things and just ignore what they know is not right. And I’m so very happy to live in a country where I have the freedom to choose. I also would not hesitate to call the police.
Click to expand...
IMO as I read it in an earlier report this was a violent, high crime area. Nobody would be walking anywhere!
I think that's why the neighbor called police. He/she wasn't going anywhere near maybe danger!
I'm kind of curious why the front door was open at 2am in this kind of neighborhood.
I'm also curious why this young child wouldn't be sleeping in his bed?
When does everybody sleep in this high crime area?I
 
Local news is reporting that Atatiana's father feels people with an agenda other than celebrating his daughter's life had taken over the arrangements, excluding him from the planning. He stated that he will of course include her mother in the decision making process-she wasn't already involved because of her illness/incapacity.

That was the latest version of the story I heard.
 
nrdsb4 said:
Local news is reporting that Atatiana's father feels people with an agenda other than celebrating his daughter's life had taken over the arrangements, excluding him from the planning. He stated that he will of course include her mother in the decision making process-she wasn't already involved because of her illness/incapacity.

That was the latest version of the story I heard.
Click to expand...


I thought I had read in the beginning that Atatiana's Mom was in the hospital and the nephew's Mom had just had surgery. WOW! God bless Atatiana's family. RIP Atatiana.
 
Hraefn said:
So it seems that an open structure call could potentially be a burglary, not that the response for an open structure call is the same as for a burglary per policy.
Click to expand...
You're right.
I haven't listened to the 911 call, but I am guessing the neighbor called and told dispatch that his neighbor's door was open, and he didn't know why.

If this was Mayberry, or any small town, Dispatch may have had a long conversation about how "Mr. Johnson just called and said his neighbor's door was open, and he was a little concerned because it isn't normal that she'd have it open at this time of the night, and was wondering if someone would take a ride over just to check on her."

Large cities are different. They use codes to keep it short because radio traffic is heavy.

Due to the neighbor and Dispatch both not knowing exactly what the problem was at the time of the call, My guess is that the Dispatcher said "code 56" and the address.

Had the neighbor seen someone running out of the house, and communicated that to Dispatch, my guess is it would have been dispatched as a "code 10" or a "code 34."

Police Radio Codes
 
Cardinal47 said:
IMO as I read it in an earlier report this was a violent, high crime area. Nobody would be walking anywhere!
I think that's why the neighbor called police. He/she wasn't going anywhere near maybe danger!
I'm kind of curious why the front door was open at 2am in this kind of neighborhood.
I'm also curious why this young child wouldn't be sleeping in his bed?
When does everybody sleep in this high crime area?I
Click to expand...

Re: bolded by me. It was a holiday weekend, and in many homes in many neighborhoods across the country, 8-year olds may have been having sleepovers with loved ones, staying up super late to play games, and waking up late to pancakes.

I do wonder about the neighborhood, though. I had heard it was bad, but maybe it really wasn't so bad if she felt safe keeping the door open at that time (rather than the windows) with just her and the kiddo. But I'm very much a "draw the curtains and close and lock the doors at dusk" type. I feel safer that way, no matter where I am. But that doesn't necessarily make me safe, and not everyone feels that way. In the end, it doesn't matter, since the blame lies squarely on the man who didn't give her a chance before shooting.
 
SoCalDavidS said:
Once again, the problem is, Shoot First, Worry About Facts Later. ASSuming that something bad is going on, without considering the innocent alternative, that everything is perfectly fine.

Regardless of the certain justification(s) to come, as in the Amber G. case, there were alternatives. Some feel that his occupation choice gives him a pass, and these are the same people who probably give a pass to every cop that "accidentally" kills someone completely innocent.
Click to expand...

I think the problem is, fear. A rookie cop. Night. "Open structure". He has no clue about AJ, and chances are, neither does the neighbor! Who knows about her sick mom only.

So these two rookie cops who arrived at her house, did not know what was behind that open door.

By law, you have to identify yourself as the police. But the cops probably were scared s..., and expected a blast of gunfire after the words, police...
So instead, they decided to prowl around. Which brought in a totally expected reaction from AJ.

Now they see a silhouette of a black woman with a gun. And this is where all rules go out of the window. The scared cop does not yell, police. He yells, hands up and immediately shoots, probably in mortal fear for his life.

Whose fault? A couple of elements, I think.

The neighbor somehow is at fault. Sorry, he is. Still. He is not observant enough by the day to see that another person, AJ, has moved in. He is very observant and scared at night, though.

Should AJ have introduced herself to the neighbor? Well, we don't know what his reputation is. Technically, I probably would have done it, but I know one guy (not exactly on my street, but close) who is so weird, no one would introduce himself or even approach him without a reason. Otherwise, he'd totally misuse the connection.

AJ is within her rights, in everything she does, she is the tenant of the house, an upstanding citizen.

The cops...both probably should have introduced themselves, or at least switched on police lights. (I don't know how this thing is called - a flashing police light? On top of that their cars).

There is also the element of copying peer's behavior. Dean is the second to arrive. He sees his peer prowling around. His decision is wrong, but not that unexpected given that another cop is already doing so.

But the rest, yelling, hands up, forgetting the word police, and immediately shooting, means, horrible fear. He was in mortal fear for own life. All wrong.

(Interestingly, I would like to see the results of MMPI testings of these cops that exacerbate the situation. I watched the video of Sandra Bland's arrest, and it was, facepalm, OMG!
How can one guy make so many psychological mistakes? (And they said he was not a racist, and had a good reputation). But if so, what else was wrong with him? )
 
I actually think that this former officer is in a worse position than Amber Guyger.

He definitely should have announced himself as a police officer. I wonder why he didn't go to the front door? Why be sneaking around in the backyard in the dark? He is lucky he wasn't shot!
 
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