Cop kills man in own apartment after mistaking his apartment for hers

[Aristeus]

This is the level of officers in this country...

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...ng/1248119002/

Texas law enforcement officials Sunday arrested a Dallas police officer in connection with a manslaughter warrant after she fatally shot one of her neighbors, a black man, in his apartment last week.

Amber Guyger was booked into the Kaufman County Jail about 7:20 p.m. Sunday, according to online records. She posted a $300,000 bond and was released, jail officials said.

Police say Guyger, a four-year veteran of the force, told investigators she was returning home from her shift Thursday night and accidentally entered Jean's apartment. Guyger believed Jean was an intruder and shot him, police said. Police have released few other details.

"Right now, there are more questions than answers," Police Chief Renee Hall said. "We understand the concerns of the community. That is why we are working as vigorously and meticulously as we can to ensure the integrity of the case and the department is upheld."

The Dallas Police Department on Friday turned over the case to the Texas Rangers, a law enforcement division within the state public safety unit, citing the need for transparency in the investigation.

I wonder how this will end.

[Machismo]

So, criminal trespassing and murder?

[bladeXcrasher]

Hopefully not well for her. She obviously could not handle the pressure of the job and should at a minimum be banned from police service and be charged with manslaughter. Hopefully the Texas Rangers hold her to a higher standard.

[Orange Joe]

So, criminal trespassing and murder?

Manslaughter. Murder requires intent. As in she entered knowing she was going to kill someone.

[Hilhen7]

Manslaughter. Murder requires intent. As in she entered knowing she was going to kill someone.

When you point a gun and pull the trigger isn't that intent to kill?

[Orange Joe]

When you point a gun and pull the trigger isn't that intent to kill?

She needed to have been planning to kill someone before opening the door to charge her with murder. Yes by the common definition she murdered him. By law they would never be able to prove murder so it's better to go with manslaughter.

[nyeh]

and i thought i was having a bad day because one of my guys backed our truck up into the side of a school

[Miyagie]

My question is how she could enter the apartment.

[Dalheim]

My question is how she could enter the apartment.

It wasn't locked?

[Deleted]

(...)and accidentally entered Jean's apartment

How do you accidentally enter someone else's apartment? Was she on drugs? Do Americans not lock their doors?

[Miyagie]

It wasn't locked?

Yeah in 2018 when kids cant even play alone outside in the US they dont lock the doors.

[Cizr]

Absolutely disgusting.

How the fuck do you even accidently enter another apartment? like she didnt notice that its not her home before she started shooting?Did she and the victim have same furniture? Was she drunk or on some drugs? She needs to be held respnsible for this.

I wonder where she got 300k $ for bond too.

[Surreality]

Paid administrative leave. Back in a few weeks to be quick on the trigger once again. These are the kind of people that the police want working for them. They aren't going to waste a unit.

[Gaaz]

Yeah... shoot first, ask questions later principle. What if she came to her own apartment and had a visit from a relative, an elderly mom or a favorite granny? She clearly shot before she could recognize her neighbor. That is some heavy shit paranoia in law enforcement you have. And minimal screening for such unstable, all reflex no cognition idiots, who cause much more harm than actually help. I would also check for any medications she was taking. Because coming into someone else's apartment thinking that it is yours and then starting shooting, while ignoring all the hints that something in the surroundings is not right, requires a heavy abuse of something.

[Endus]

When you point a gun and pull the trigger isn't that intent to kill?

You've got it right.

If she pulled her gun and shot with intent to kill, murder is the appropriate charge. 2nd degree, not first, because it's not premeditated, just in-the-moment. Orange Joe is talking about premeditation, not intent.

But yes; she should be convicted on 2nd degree murder for this. I'd actually argue they can overlook the criminal trespass possibility if it turns out that her victim had his door unlocked or something; just walking into the wrong apartment shouldn't result in charges. Dropping charges to manslaughter seems like preferential treatment for a police officer.

And before anyone accused me of being anti-cop, here's the Texas law code;

https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/D.../htm/PE.19.htm

Sec. 19.02. MURDER. (a) In this section:

(1) "Adequate cause" means cause that would commonly produce a degree of anger, rage, resentment, or terror in a person of ordinary temper, sufficient to render the mind incapable of cool reflection.


(2) "Sudden passion" means passion directly caused by and arising out of provocation by the individual killed or another acting with the person killed which passion arises at the time of the offense and is not solely the result of former provocation.


(b) A person commits an offense if he:

(1) intentionally or knowingly causes the death of an individual;

(2) intends to cause serious bodily injury and commits an act clearly dangerous to human life that causes the death of an individual; or

(3) commits or attempts to commit a felony, other than manslaughter, and in the course of and in furtherance of the commission or attempt, or in immediate flight from the commission or attempt, he commits or attempts to commit an act clearly dangerous to human life that causes the death of an individual.


(c) Except as provided by Subsection (d), an offense under this section is a felony of the first degree.


(d) At the punishment stage of a trial, the defendant may raise the issue as to whether he caused the death under the immediate influence of sudden passion arising from an adequate cause. If the defendant proves the issue in the affirmative by a preponderance of the evidence, the offense is a felony of the second degree.

Sec. 19.04. MANSLAUGHTER. (a) A person commits an offense if he recklessly causes the death of an individual.

This wasn't "reckless". She had full intent to either kill or at least seriously injure the guy by shooting him. She was also arguably committing a felony (breaking and entering) at the time. I don't see how this ISN'T murder, under Texas law. It's not capital murder, which is more severe (Texas apparently doesn't use first- and second-degree classifications). And she could potentially argue that it was a "sudden passion" thing for being fearful of someone she thought had broken into what she thought was her apartment. That would reduce the punishment to a second-degree felony.

But she still committed murder, under the law. Charge her appropriately. That she has a badge should only ever mean that the punishment for her crimes will be more severe than otherwise, never an argument for lighter treatment.

[Altrec]

My question is how she could enter the apartment.

My guess is the door was either unlocked, or maybe more likely already partially open because he was leaving and forgot something so he went back in to grab something and she entered moments later thinking it was her apartment and the door was open so she was already on alert as she entered. Hard to say really, but she is certainly at fault for a serious amount of negligence that resulted in the loss of life.

[isuridedes]

I wonder where she got 300k $ for bond too.

She probably used a bondsman to take on the debt, meaning she would only have to pay 10 - 15% upfront. The bondsman then takes on the risk of the full bond if she flees. So $30 - $45,000. It's not unrealistic that she could have that much saved up - but I have to believe that more likely than not her Union or her Department helped cover the bond because that Blue Line is a real thing, even when all evidence suggests you've just committed manslaughter.

[Endus]

She needed to have been planning to kill someone before opening the door to charge her with murder. Yes by the common definition she murdered him. By law they would never be able to prove murder so it's better to go with manslaughter.

Seriously, you're describing premeditation, not intent.

If she pulled the firearm and shot the guy, on purpose, that's intent. A lack of intent is for things like an accidental discharge due to criminal levels of negligence.

If I see a guy I hate while I'm driving and accelerate my car and hit him and kill him, that's murder. If a guy steps off a crosswalk while I'm looking at my phone, it isn't. I intended to kill the guy in the first example; that's the difference. It doesn't matter whether I had any predetermined plan to kill him.

[IIamaKing]

Absolutely disgusting.

How the fuck do you even accidently enter another apartment? like she didnt notice that its not her home before she started shooting?Did she and the victim have same furniture? Was she drunk or on some drugs? She needs to be held respnsible for this.

I wonder where she got 300k $ for bond too.

Well, it'd only be 30k, and proly putting up something as collateral.

[Cizr]

She probably used a bondsman to take on the debt, meaning she would only have to pay 10 - 15% upfront. The bondsman then takes on the risk of the full bond if she flees. So $30 - $45,000. It's not unrealistic that she could have that much saved up - but I have to believe that more likely than not her Union or her Department helped cover the bond because that Blue Line is a real thing, even when all evidence suggests you've just committed manslaughter.

Thanks,didnt know that this is how it works in USA.