Family seeks answers after police kill Texas woman at home – World

A white police officer who killed a black woman inside her Texas home while answering a neighbor's call about an open door "did not have time to perceive a threat" before opening fire, said a lawyer from the family of the woman.

"You didn't hear the officer scream, & # 39; gun, gun, gun & # 39;" said lawyer Lee Merritt after watching a video taken from the camera of a Fort Worth officer's body during the Atatiana Saturday shooting Jefferson, 28. "He didn't have time to perceive a threat. That's murder."

His family told him KXAS television that Jefferson was watching his 8-year-old nephew when he was killed early on Saturday.

The Fort Worth Police Department said in a statement that officers saw someone near a window inside the house and that one of them pulled out his service weapon and fired after "perceiving a threat." The video posted by the police shows two officers searching the house from outside with flashlights before one shouts: "Raise your hands, show me your hands." Then a shot is fired through a window.

"It's another one of those situations where people who are supposed to protect us are not really here to protect us," said Jefferson's sister, Amber Carr.

"You know, you want to see justice, but justice doesn't bring my sister back," Carr said.

An aunt, Venitta Body, said the family does not understand why Jefferson was killed.

"It's like from the moment we received the call, it has been increasingly inconceivable and more confusing. And nothing has been done to eliminate that confusion," said Body.

A large crowd gathered in front of Jefferson's house on Sunday night for a vigil after the previous demonstrations briefly halted traffic on part of Interstate 35.

Police Lieutenant Brandon O & # 39; Neil said Sunday afternoon that the officer, who has been in force since April 2018, is on administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation and will be interviewed about the deadly shooting Monday. His name was not released.

In a brief press conference at the police headquarters, O & # 39; Neil confirmed that the officer did not announce that he was a policeman before firing the deadly shot and that his failure is part of the department's investigation.

O & # 39; Neil also confirmed that Jefferson's 8-year-old nephew was in the room with Jefferson when he was shot. He said representatives of the police department had spoken with the woman's family and "shared our serious and sincere concern about this indescribable loss."

His family has said he was looking at his nephew at that time.

O & # 39; Neil refused to answer journalists' questions and said Fort Worth police chief Ed Kraus plans to hold a deeper press conference on Monday.

James Smith, who called a non-emergency police number on the open door, told reporters he was just trying to be a good neighbor.

"I am shocked. I am angry. I am upset. And I feel that it is partly my fault," Smith said. "If I had never called the police department, she would still be alive."

Smith said Jefferson and his nephew generally lived with an older woman, who had been in the hospital.

"It makes you not want to call the police department," he said.

In an audio recording of Smith's call that was issued by the police, the neighbor said "it was not normal" for the house to leave its door open for hours at that time of day.

Merritt said Jefferson's family expects "a thorough and expedited investigation." The Fort Worth Police Department said it released images of the body camera shortly after the shooting to provide transparency, but that any "camera recording inside the residence" could not be distributed due to state law.

However, the video of the body camera released to the media included blurry fixed pictures showing a gun inside a room in the house. It is not clear if the firearm was found near the woman, and police have not said that the officer who shot him thought he had a gun. The police statement released on Saturday said only agents who entered the residence after the shooting found a firearm. Police did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment on Sunday.

The Democratic presidential candidate, Senator Bernie Sanders, asked the Justice Department on Sunday to investigate.

"The murders of unarmed African Americans have to end," Sanders tweeted. "Atatiana Jefferson should be alive."

The shooting occurs less than two weeks after a former white Dallas policeman was sentenced to 10 years in prison after being convicted of murder in the fatal shooting of his black neighbor inside his own apartment.

Amber Guyger, 31, said during his trial that he confused Botham Jean's apartment with his own, which was one floor below Jean's. Merritt also represents Jean's family.