After a long night of working for the Dallas Police department a female officer, whose name has not been released for safety purposes, was about to return home to her apartment. However, upon arriving at what she thought to be her own apartment she shoot and killed a man who was in the apartment. But the mistake was one of her own. Instead of entering her own apartment she had entered her neighbor's. The victim has been identified as Botham Shem Jean age 26, who was a resident of the apartment. After she shoot the man she called 9-1-1, claiming that she thought she was in her own home and that the victim was an intruder. Blood test have now been conducted on the the officer and no use of drugs or alcohol was found. However, charges for manslaughter are now being pressed. I think this a very unique situation considering that from what is known so far, Botham did nothing to threaten the officer in anyway. Further investigation is still being conducted.
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Why do you think the officer reacted the way she did?
Most likely she was scared thinking someone else was in her house.
If you were in the officer’s position what would you have done, or what should the officer done instead of shooting?
What she should have done was not shoot. Instead she should have first looked around the apartment and realized it was not hers. Then she should have simply talked to Botham and explained she had entered the wrong home. I would have also done this if I was in her position.
How do you think the officer could have not noticed she was in someone else’s apartment?
There are multiple potential reasons why she could have entered the wrong apartment. It could have been just a simple mistake because she was tired from working a long shift or it could have been much more than that if more factors come into play.
Replies
Great job Ally!
For starters, I do believe that this was an accident and that the officer was just startled as many of us would be as well. I do believe the officer could have maybe called out first before shooting or even just simply check the apartment number before entering.
the officer should lose her job and should be in jail becasue she was the real intruder and killed a person that was not in the wrong and di nothing to deserve death
I think the officer reacted the way so she did was because she was most likely scared and freaked out that there was someone in "her" appartment. If I was put in this situation I would defiently be freaked out, but I would not just fire my weapon because the instant she saw the person she fired who knew it could have been anyone. I think it is kind of sketchy the way this all took place, but I think the officer should have looked around and realized she wasn't in her appartment even though she had a long day and was very tired from work.
I think that this seems a little too suspicious to be an accident. If someone is in your apartment you don't kill them unless you are being threatened by the person. I think she should have known she was in the wrong apartment because each apartment has its own number so it would make it harder for her to go into the wrong apartment.
I agree with you 100%. I for sure think that something else is going on besides the fact that the officer just went into the wrong apartment. Also if it was just a honest mistake she should have not shoot and first just talked to the man to see what was happening.
I think the officer acted the way she did because she is in the line of duty and she knows how criminals work.I defintley think she should of taken percautionary meaures since she thought there was someone in her home, but she shouldn't of shot on sight. I don't exactly know how the officer didn't know she wasn't in her own home, but what I want to know is how did she get into her neighbors apartment without a key and if she did have a key to his apartment because there was something going on between them, did she just go to the wrong door?
This is some Wile .E Coyote level stuff right here. I mean how do you actually walk into your neighbor's apartment and think that its your own? Imagine walking into your neighbor's house, with a completely different smell, furniture, and dog coming up to greet you, and still thinking that the guy who lives in there is breaking in. I think this is the problem with having police officers that are trained somewhere else away from the place that they work, and not being an actual part of the community.
1. I think the officer reacted in such a way due to panic. It's scary dealing with an intruder. However she shouldn't have shot. I'm ok with having the gun at ready just is case, but I'm not a fan of the shoot first ask questions later plan.
2. I would have walked outside without the 'intruder' noticing, and call for help from there. I most likely wouldn't even call either, I'd probably realize it wasn't my house a little after I got outside.
3. Some apartments have the same build for each room, so maybe she didn't notice the difference in furnature do to being tired from working all night.
You make some good points but I think that there might have been something else that is still unknow about the officer. Because in my opion it is kind of odd for the officer to walk into someone elses home and not realize at all that is was not her home.
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