The father of Atatiana Jefferson spoke to CBS News Monday morning following the death of his 28-year-old daughter who was shot and killed inside her own home by police during a wellness check.
“I mean it’s senseless. My daughter… had her whole life in front of her,” father Marquis Jefferson said of his daughter, a pre-med graduate student of Xavier University.
Fort Worth police released body camera video of the incident where the officer shot Atatiana Jefferson through a window early Saturday just seconds after asking her to show her hands after appearing in a window through the dark. The officer is expected to be questioned Monday.
The shooting comes just a few weeks of the trial of Botham Jean, an unarmed black man who was killed in his Dallas home by a white police officer. Amber Guyger was sentenced to 10 years in prison
Jefferson is seeking justice for the death of his daughter. She was up late playing video games with her 8-year-old nephew Saturday – and moments later, body camera video shows police shot and killed her in her own home.
Police say a neighbor called the Fort Worth police number for non-emergencies about Jefferson’s home around 2 a.m. Saturday because he noticed a door open since 10pm which was unusual.
“I called because I was concerned for my neighbors,” Smith said.
“What I witnessed was three or four tactical officers come from around the corner seem like… And in less than a minute, I heard gunshots,” Smith recounted of the incident.
Fort Worth police released body camera video showing an officer outside the house with a flashlight.
“Put your hands up! Show me your hands!” the officer shouted on the body cam video before you could hear a gunshot. He never identified himself as police on the video before firing a shot into a window where Jefferson’s nephew was steps away.
“What the officer observed and why he did not announce police will be addressed as the investigation continues,” Fort Worth Police Lt. Brandon O’Neil said.
Fort Worth police said they found a gun inside of Jefferson’s home – but did not say if it was related to the shooting. Meanwhile, the officer involved is on leave, pending the results of the investigation.
According to the Washington Post, in 2019 alone, police have killed 689 people in the United States.
Source: CBS
