Former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger has been ordered to pay $98 million in a civil verdict after using excessive force in the fatal shooting of Botham Jean in his home six years ago. The jury found that Guyger acted with malice and awarded Jean’s family $60 million in punitive damages and an additional $38 million in compensatory damages. Guyger, who was convicted of murder in 2018 and sentenced to ten years in prison, did not attend the trial and did not have a lawyer present due to financial constraints.
Jean’s family had sought $54 million in damages and after the verdict was announced, they called it a powerful testament to Botham’s life and a message that law enforcement officers who commit crimes cannot be insulated from the consequences of their actions. The family described Guyger’s actions on the night of the shooting as clearly excessive and unreasonable. Guyger, who was off-duty but in uniform, mistakenly entered Jean’s apartment believing it was her own and shot him. Jean, a 26-year-old Black man, was in his living room eating ice cream at the time of the shooting. Guyger testified that she never intended to take an innocent life and that the shooting was a result of fear rather than hate. The case highlighted issues of racial bias and police accountability that cannot be ignored.
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