Witnesses Dispute Off-Duty Officer's Account in Fatal Shooting of Neighbor

An off-duty Dallas police officer who was charged with manslaughter over the weekend for fatally shooting her neighbor after mistaking his apartment for her own, may see additional charges filed against her after the case is heard by a grand jury.

According to an arrest warrant, Amber Guyger, 30, told officers that she went to what she believed was her third-floor apartment in the complex where she lived. Instead, she mistakenly went to the fourth floor apartment, directly above her own where she saw the door "slightly ajar" and spotted a "large silhouette" inside. 

Guyger says she gave "verbal commands" to the person inside, and when those were ignored, fired her weapon twice, fatally striking Jean in the torso.

It wasn't until Guyger turned on the lights and called 911, that she realized that she was in the "wrong apartment." 

However, attorneys for Jean's family say they have two witnesses who dispute the officer's account. 

"They heard knocking down the hallway followed by a woman's voice that they believe to be officer Guyger saying, 'Let me in. Let me in,'" attorney Lee Merritt said

That's when one of the witnesses reported hearing gunshots, followed by the sound of a man's voice, crying out, "Oh my God, why did you do that?" 

Merritt says they believe those were Botham Jean's last words. 

The Texas Rangers, which has taken charge of the investigation after the Dallas Police Department realized the nature of the incident, have not released much information about the case since taking it over. 

Botham Jean's funeral is expected to take place on Thursday at a church in Richardson, Texas and draw a large crowd of mourners. 


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