Oct. 2 (UPI) — Former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger was sentenced to 10 years in prison Wednesday for the fatal shooting of an unarmed man in his apartment last year.
The sentence was less than half of the 28-year prison term prosecutors had suggested for Guyger after she was convicted of murder for shooting and killing 26-year-old Botham Jean in his apartment on Sept. 6, 2018, after saying she mistook Jean’s apartment for her own and thought he was a burglar.
“Over 37 years, I have seen so many cases, I have long stopped trying to guess what a jury would do and I have learned to accept their judgment,” District Attorney John Creuzot said, adding he expected a longer sentence.
After the sentencing Jean’s brother Brandt Jean hugged Guyger and forgave her, saying he didn’t want her to go to prison.
“I think giving your life to Christ would be the best thing that Botham would want for you,” he said. “I love you as a person and I don’t wish anything bad on you.”
Jean’s mother Allison Jean said the trial exposed corruption within the Dallas police department, stating it has “a lot of laundry to do” and adding she believes Guyger was either trained poorly or applied her training improperly.
“That should never, ever happen again,” she said. “If Amber Guyger was trained not to shoot in the heart, my son would be standing here today.”
