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Amanda McCoy
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Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Aaron Dean looks towards the gallery before the continuation of the punishment phase of his trial on Monday, December 19, 2022, at Tarrant County’s 396th District Court. Dean was found guilty of manslaughter in the shooting death of Atatiana Jefferson in 2019.
Former Fort Worth police officer Aaron Dean has been sentenced to 11 years, 10 months and 12 days in prison for fatally shooting Atatiana Jefferson in her home in 2019.
On Thursday, a Tarrant County jury convicted Dean of manslaughter, a lesser crime than his original charge of murder. Dean shot Jefferson through her bedroom window while responding to a call about open doors at her home.
The jury had the option to convict Dean of murder, manslaughter, or acquit him. They chose the middle option, leaving some unsatisfied and others looking forward to healing. Dean is white, and Jefferson was Black, and her name is often brought up alongside names like George Floyd and Botham Jean.
Dean testified during trial he thought the house was being burglarized. Dean and his partner went into Jefferson’s backyard, saw Jefferson holding a gun through the window and shot in self-defense, he said.
The prosecution argued there’s no evidence Dean saw that gun, and Jefferson had the right to pick up a gun and defend her home.
This story will be updated.
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