Law Enforcement
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Amber Guyger, the Dallas Officer Who Killed Botham Jean, Has Been Fired But It’s Not Enough
Amber Guyger—the 30-year-old police officer who shot and killed 26-year-old Botham Shem Jean as he sat in his own apartment minding his own business—has been fired from her job with the Dallas Police Department. The department announced Guyger’s termination via a post on Twitter, saying the officer had been terminated during a hearing that took…
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What Can Botham Jean and Amber Guyger's Locks Tell Us About What Happened the Night of His Killing?
Dallas police have taken the electronic locks from the apartments of Amber Guyger and Botham Jean to help them find out what happened the night Guyger walked into Jean’s apartment and shot him dead. According to the Dallas Morning News, the Dallas County district attorney’s office seized the locks from the two South Side Flats…
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Officer Jason Van Dyke Is Accused of Murder, But Laquan McDonald Is on Trial
While we see it with far more frequency, it’s still not often that a cop goes on trial for an officer-involved shooting, and rarer still for that officer to receive a murder charge. In the cases when it does happen—particularly if the victim is black—the playbook for the defense is simple: put the victim on…
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Amber Guyger Is Free on Bail, but Activists Who Peacefully Protested Her Are Still in Jail
If you want just one example (of the many out there) of why we kneel, allow me to tell you a story. Amber Guyger, a Dallas police officer, burst into an innocent, unarmed black man’s home 11 days ago and shot and killed him. She was neither arrested nor questioned about the shooting until three…
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Trial Begins Today for Chicago Officer Who Shot and Killed Laquan McDonald
Nearly four years after Chicago police Officer Jason Van Dyke unloaded 16 bullets into Laquan McDonald, his murder trial is set to begin in earnest. The long-awaited trial will start with opening arguments on Monday, but first, Judge Vincent Gaughan will make a decision on the defense’s request to move the trial out of Cook…
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'What About Our Aftermath?': Tiffany Crutcher Remembers Her Brother, Terence, Two Years After His Death
It’s been two years since Terence Crutcher died, but once in a while, his sister Tiffany Crutcher will talk about him as though he’s still here. “Terence and I just celebrated our 42nd birthday, August 16th,” she says. Tiffany, who has a clinical doctorate in physical rehabilitation, is a health care provider. This particular Wednesday…
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#StephonClark: Brace Yourselves, Sacramento’s Mayor Says Shooting Investigation Is Nearing Conclusion
While our attention has been focused on the shooting death of Botham Jean at the hands of Dallas police officer Amber Guyger, another important piece of news has slipped relatively under the radar. Sacramento’s mayor said earlier this week that the investigation into the shooting death of Stephon Clark was nearing completion. The Sacramento Police…
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So, What's Marijuana Got to Do With It?
In a search affidavit that we apparently know all the contents of, we now know that the police apparently found some marijuana—about .37 ounces—in Botham Jean’s apartment after he was shot by Dallas police officer Amber Guyger. My response: So what? Marijuana, a substance that is legal, either recreationally or medically, in nine states, and…
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2 Different Versions of Amber Guyger’s Story Appear on 2 Different Warrants Related to the Shooting of Botham Jean
Have you been confused by the ever-changing narrative and details that keep getting added to the story of what happened the night Dallas police officer Amber Guyger shot and killed Botham Jean—an innocent black man who was minding his own business in his own apartment? If you are, you are not alone. At this point,…
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Amber Guyger’s Family Denies They Are Racist Despite Photos That May Suggest Otherwise
The family of Amber Guyger—the Dallas police officer who shot and killed unarmed 26-year-old Botham Jean in his apartment last week—is speaking out to defend themselves against accusations that they are racist. Various social media photos are being circulated as proof that the family is either racist or has racist leanings. As the Dallas Morning…