Aaron Dean, the officer who fatally shot Atatiana Jefferson, a 28-year-old black woman to death in her Fort Worth, Texas, home in 2019, has been found guilty of manslaughter by a jury.
According to Judge George Gallagher, the jury deliberated on a manslaughter charge as well as a murder charge. According to the Texas Penal Code, manslaughter is a second-degree felony. A $10,000 fine and two to 20 years in jail are the possible penalties.
The jury will determine Dean’s sentence. The sentencing phase will start on Friday at 10 a.m. Eastern time.
Zion Carr, Jefferson’s now-11-year-old nephew, testified to the jury for the duration of the five days of testimony. Zion was present in the room when Jefferson was shot.
Atatiana Jefferson had been playing video games with her 8-year-old nephew in her home in the early hours of the morning, when former officer Aaron Dean shot and killed her through a window of the Allen Avenue home.
Aaron Dean resigned from the Fort Worth Police Department before he could be fired, and was later arrested and charged with murder.
