Amber Guyger Found Guilty of Murder

Amber Guyger was a member of the Dallas Police Department when, late in the evening on September 6, 2018, she mistakenly entered the apartment of Botham Jean and shot him dead. Guyger and Jean lived in the same apartment building; Guyger lived on the third floor and Jean lived in the apartment above hers. Also, as I understand it, the apartments were attached to a parking structure such that you could park your vehicle and directly access the apartments.

    About 10 pm of the fateful day, Guyger had reportedly ended a 14-hour shift and headed home. Apparently distracted by her sexting with her work partner, Guyger drove to the fourth level of the parking garage, instead of the 3rd floor where she lived.

     Her mind occupied with other things, Guyger apparently didn't notice that the illuminated apartment number was different from her own, or that there was a distinctive red mat in front of the door, but simply went to open the door. Her reverie was broken, however, when she noticed that the door was ajar and she heard someone walking around inside. At this point, Guyger decided to confront whomever was in what she believed to be her apartment. I'm sure she pushed the door open violently before entering the apartment and saw Jean, who was watching television and eating a bowl of ice cream. So focused was she on her "prey," that Guyger apparently didn't notice that the furniture and pictures on the walls were different, items were arranged differently, or that it didn't smell like her place. Instead, the ice cream eating Jean, according to Guyger's testimony, made her feel "scared to death" and her pulse raced. She also testified, "I was scared he was going to kill me." She shot Jean twice.

      According to Guyger, "[s]he said she commanded, 'Let me see your hands,' but the man inside began coming toward her and yelling, 'Hey! Hey! Hey!'" However, "[t]he trajectory of the bullet showed that Jean was either getting up from his couch or cowering when Guyger fired at him, the prosecution said." Guyger admitted that she was unable to provide first aid to Jean because she was busy with one hand calling 911 and her mind was frantic.

    There are several takeaways from this incident. But the primary things are that Guyger was simply stupid, thoughtless, and unobservant.

    There was testimony from other residents of the building that it was easy to accidentally park on the wrong floor and go to the wrong apartment door. It is likely that, distracted as she was by her sexting, Guyger simply went to the wrong floor and the wrong apartment. So, first lesson, don't text and drive.

     Second, Guyger got out of her car and went to Jean's apartment door, but was so engrossed in her own thoughts or with her phone that she failed to notice the different number or a distinctly different mat outside the door. Again, Guyger was completely clueless about her surroundings. You need to maintain situational awareness in transition spaces. At least look at the world around you.

     Third, according to Guyger's testimony, she believed that someone was in the apartment before she entered. Rather than calling police (or, in her case, backup), she decided to rush into the apartment and confront whomever was there. I'm sure that she was probably angry when she discovered someone was, she believed, in her apartment. Perhaps she felt a rush of "girl power." She probably had already drawn her weapon. But she rushed into a situation thoughtlessly without assessing the situation or thinking of the danger of trying to clear a residence without assistance. If she had done either, this tragedy could have been avoided. So, lesson here is (1) lock your doors and make sure they are securely shut, and (2) think before you rush in where angels fear to tread.

     Finally, once in her apartment, and confronted with a black man eating ice cream, she panicked. All her training and experience went out the window with that flood of adrenaline and, as she describes it, overwhelming fear. She was so focused on Jean that she failed to notice the furniture and other clues that would have distinguished Jean's home from her apartment. I'm guessing that in her state, she probably started shouting unintelligible or contradictory commands at Jean and shot him when he moved. In other words, she was completely unaware of her surroundings, not confident of her own abilities to manage a suspect, and too excitable to manage her emotions or reactions. This is a person that should have never owned a gun, let alone been entrusted to use force on behalf of the State.

     Because Guyger is white and a police officer and Jean was black, the trial was framed by many as another example of police violence directed at blacks. For instance, the BBC reports:

      "This is a victory for black people in America," said civil rights lawyer Lee Merritt after the verdict was read.

      "It's a signal that the tide is going to change here. Police officers are going to be held accountable for their actions and we believe that will begin to change policing culture all over the world."

     "This should have been automatic. This should have been anticipated, expected", he continued, describing cases of police officers being punished for shooting unarmed black men such as Jean, as "rare".   

I doubt that Jean's race had much to do with the outcome. Statistics indicate that police are more likely to shoot white male suspects than black male suspects. But this case and outcome will, I hope, make police a little less likely to rush in and start shooting. Let's face it: Guyger was the burglar, even if she was wearing a badge.