"wrong apartment" cop is changing story... blaming victim, said he didn't follow verbal commands

[Demovictory9]

https://newsone.com/3825957/amber-guyger-dallas-shooting-blames-botham-jean/?utm_source=moengage&utm_campaign=dallas_update&utm_medium=push

cop who shot him in his own home seems to be blaming the young man for his own death.


Amber Guyger, 30, who has been a police officer for 4 years, entered Jean’s apartment, first claiming she thought it was her own home before she started shooting. Now she has claimed she gave Jean commands and he didn’t listen, The Associated Press reported.

“David Armstrong of the Texas Rangers wrote in an arrest affidavit released Monday that Officer Amber Guyger said it was nearly completely dark inside the apartment when she entered it Thursday night and she thought she was encountering a burglar in her home,” the AP wrote. “He says Guyger said the person ignored her verbal commands and she fired twice. One struck Jean in the chest and he later died.”

So basically, Guyger is pointing the finger at the dead man for ignoring her “verbal commands”? If it was “nearly completely dark,” then Jean, who was unarmed, may not have been able to see she was a police officer. Even if he could, where was Guyger’s deescalation techniques? Moreover, the AP reported Jean’s door was slightly ajar, contrasting with earlier reports that the door was locked.

[john657]

1. Hopefully now they can add lying to investigators, which, in most states,

is a Felony.

[LandOfHopeAndDreams]

78. LOL!

We're lucky they're charging her with anything. Besides, perjury is pretty much what they teach during police training. Always have a good story ready to go.

[MiniMe]

2. Why would she knock on a locked door and say "Let me in"

The whole thing doesn't make sense and stinks to high heaven

[Cha]

3. This Pisses me Off! How did she get in.. since

her "..key wouldn't work".

Guyger was heard by 2 witnesses.. Knocking and yelling to.. ".. open the door!"

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Why didn't she notice the Red Doormat?!!!!

I bet all Bo Jean's neighbors will be called to court as witnesses.

Who is so damn dumb they park on the wrong floor of the parking structure.. the first place? Unless you're impaired?

I have heard nothing about a toxicology report.

[SunSeeker]

19. They drew her blood for the tests at the scene.

How long do toxicology tests like that take?

[Cha]

26. It's only been since "Sept 6 at about 9:59pm"

Botham Jean Shooting: Woman Says Video Shows Aftermath

https://heavy.com/news/2018/09/botham-jean-shooting-video-dallas-instagram/

I so hope there's Justice for Bo Jean

[SunSeeker]

28. Devatating for his family.

[Docreed2003]

44. "Intruder dressed as cop murders resident"

That tweet is spot on. How many of us, in the middle of the night, would readily "follow verbal commands" from someone who barged into our homes??

[RockRaven]

4. Whole premise makes no sense for a non-impaired person... how do you misidentify your own apartment?

Even in cookie-cutter buildings there are small things about your floor, your hallway which YOU SEE EVERY DAY that catch the eye when different or out of place.


Also,
Was the door open?
Was the door unlocked?
If the answer to either of those questions is yes, and you didn't leave it that way, the very next thing you ought to do (even before drawing a gun, giving orders, or shooting) is check your surroundings. You know, to confirm that it actually is YOUR FUCKING APARTMENT.

[Cha]

6. +1! Yes, we Have Questions!

[Niagara]

14. +1

I wish I could kick your reply.

[msongs]

5. home invasion robbery?

[ProudLib72]

7. What keeps bugging me is how she got in

Unlocked door? I don't believe that. Did she force it open? Did he come to the door to see what the commotion was?

She may not remember because she was totally plastered.

[Shemp Howard]

22. I don't believe the unlocked door story either.

I think you're right. Mr. Jean must have opened his own door to see what the commotion was, then he got shot. Right now the cop and her lawyer are just thinking up ways to make it look like it's somehow Mr. Jean's fault.

And the sad part is that juries often buy such nonsense.

[ProudLib72]

68. The last time I was on jury duty there was something fishy about the plaintif's case

We decided she was making up stuff, so we found for the defendant. Unfortunately in this case, the defendant cannot answer for himself, so the cop gets to make up whatever sounds good.

[Cha]

8. Why did it take three days to charge this police officer? To get the story together?

Link to tweet

[joshcryer]

11. Yes, they told her all the evidence they had.

And she was able to make a convincing story based on that evidence.

They know that the key would not open the door. The fact that the key was still in the door by witness accounts doesn't indicate she actually used it to open the door. You take your key out after you open a door. The fact that she yelled "open it up!" to him by witness accounts does not match this theory but they will force those witnesses to question their memory. Her memory won't be questioned nor will her statements.

[Cha]

13. Another scenario.. There will hopefully

be more witness affidavits that corroborate what they heard and even saw than Amber's slimey excuse for invading and killing an unarmed man in his own Home.

Yeah, one would take their key out after opening the door.. but her key wouldn't open Bo Jean's door. Maybe he heard her rattling the keyhole and opened it only to get shot? Which is actually one version I read.

Every excuse she's come up with sounds like she was impaired. There should be so Many questions that need answers for the Grand Jury.

No one has mentioned the results of the toxicology report that I've heard about. Certainly we should learn if she was clean or not.

I hope for Justice for Bo Jean and there are enough honest police in charge who won't do a cover up for the Dept's sake.

Bo Jean

[joshcryer]

18. I don't think she was drunk.

I think that would've leaked out if she was and she looked sober in the instagram video of her pacing back and forth.

I think she did indeed mistake the floor but I think her hubris and killer cop attitude made her power trip.

I don't think the door was ajar, I think she put her key (apparently the keys are digital in some way?) in and it beeped or whatever it does when it doesn't work. I think she heard him inside, perhaps he called out "who's there?" and she then demanded he open the door. He opened it as per instruction and was murdered in cold blood.

The defense is carefully curating her story and the police are carefully making it a forgivable, unfortunate, bizarre accident. They are going to paint her in the most respectful light possible, they are going to say she was overworked and confused. They will also make it clear that the "large black man" wasn't "visible" in the darkness of his apartment. They will stage it completely and utterly.

Any witnesses that contradict her story will be very easily dismissed because all it takes is for a lawyer to trip up their statements for them to question themselves.

[Cha]

23. So Bo did obey her "command" by opening

the door if that's what happened.

"Overworked".. that doesn't look good for the dept. I saw Bo Jean's mom speak and she absolutely wants Justice for her son and for them "to pay".

The Dallas Police are not going to cover this up without a massive fight. So many people have taken this to heart and want Justice for him, too.. All over this country. I know I do.

Dallas police will be in the spotlight for quite awhile. They really shouldn't try to cover for Amber Guyger.. just get to the truth of what exactly happened.

[tblue37]

25. I notice that some articles have changed the length of her shift from 12

hours to 15 hours.

[joshcryer]

27. Ahh, that's a nice catch.

And of course she'll say it takes two-three hours to get ready for work. Poor overworked officer was up 18 hours. Oh and she probably had to go to an event the day before. Also notice her booking photo has her with big rings under her eyes. Poor gal didn't sleep for days! Totally unfair of us to judge her.

[mythology]

45. When is she going to come out with the convincing story.

She certainly hasn't yet.

[joshcryer]

56. Her defense is "bizarre accident with reasonable self-defense."

They will be sure to point out the castle doctrine and say that if it was her apartment that it would have been fine to kill an intruder. They will then focus on her 15 hour work day and how she was exhausted and truly believed that her life was in danger in her own apartment.

I can see a Texas jury acquitting her.

[tblue37]

72. That work day started out at just 12 hours, but now it is up to 15. Before you know it,

she will have been on shift for 36 hours straight!

[joshcryer]

82. Yup, she was up all night taking care of her sick grandma.

Was awake 48 hours straight, poor gal.

When this is all said and done she'll be suing the police force for overworking her and causing her PTSD.

[LiberalFighter]

81. Cops get time to get their story straight before questioning.

While the rest of us would be grilled within hours.

[question everything]

9. There are so many holes in this story

I hope that they put a serious investigator to look into it.

[exboyfil]

10. The reporting seems to indicate

That the Texas Rangers report reads like a defense brief.

[safeinOhio]

31. LEOs just call it a "Professional Courtesy".

Common among cops and gangs. Protect members at all cost.

[MrScorpio]

12. Yeah, like that's going to REALLY help out her case...

Link to tweet

[yardwork]

15. If it was dark, how could she tell if he was obeying or not?

[DeminPennswoods]

16. She was sober enough to give commands,

but not to figure out where she was?

The victim's lawyers are going to find out where she was that night. There's going to be video from whatever bar(s) was where she was drinking and video from other business outside showing her coming and going. There's probably security camera video from the apartment parking garage and perhaps even from the building entrance.

[montana_hazeleyes]

17. This is getting more infuriating by the minute.

I don't see how she had any reason or right to shoot him at all.

WTF! Just because she's a cop she can do what none of the rest of us can do. It's the same damned sick shit again and again.

[NutmegYankee]

20. She wasn't able to give lawful commands.

She was trespassing, so neither Castle Doctrine or Stand her Ground are useable as defenses.

[Shemp Howard]

29. That's an important point.

And it shows the arrogance of the police. By her own admission, Officer Guyger broke into Mr. Jean's house. So before the shooting she was, at a minimum, trespassing. Yet she's arrogant enough to use "lawful commands" as an excuse.

And anyway, who would obey the commands of someone who had just broken into your house? Reasonable people would not automatically obey a trespasser.

[Hav]

30. It's not only about evaluating

whether the person giving the commands has the right to do so. If someone tried to get into my home so late at night, demanding to open the door and if I then opened the door to see what's going on, I'd be too shocked to react to any verbal commands in time, likely with a gun in my face as well. Thinking about it, I wouldn't even dare to open the door.

[dawg day]

37. Also, seriously, you don't just get to shoot someone.

He didn't follow her shouted orders, so she immediately shot him?
Even if this was not in his own home, this would be outrageous. We don't hire police officers to just shoot people.

Most officers would never do that, but the departments need to find and get rid of these trigger-happy ones. It sounds like a lot of departments have a few of them, and it's dangerous for the department as well as the citizens.

[uponit7771]

47. +1, "He didn't follow her shouted orders, so she immediately shot him? " ... and he wasn't armed

[joshcryer]

60. Cops aren't required reasonable threat determination.

They can literally shoot you within one second of the command being given if they feel "threatened." She was operating in cop mode.

[MissMillie]

62. Even when they're off-duty?

I'm not saying you're wrong. I'm just trying to determine is there is ever a time when the laws that apply to those of us not in law enforcement apply to those who work in law enforcement?

[joshcryer]

67. Well yeah.

But the defense will say "she was still in the mindset as an officer after 15 hours on duty." And "castle doctrine would clear her if she was in her apartment." They are going to make this about the officers memories and feelings and whatnot. As they always do. And cops' feelings are more important than the innocent people they gun down.

[MissMillie]

61. +1

the whole idea that a situation can be somehow alleviated by firing a weapon is JUST WRONG!!!!

If the police are armed w/ weapons, are not they also armed w/ a radio? Can they not call for back up? "Hey, there's someone in my apartment... can I get some help?"

Of course it wasn't her apartment, but at least at that point no one dies!

[Solly Mack]

21. She's full of shit.

[tblue37]

24. Two witnesses heard her knocking and telling whoever was there to let her in, so

the door was apparently locked. Also, she seems to have said initially that she tried to use her key but it wouldn't work.

A changing story is in itself suspicious.

[uponit7771]

48. +1, "let me in" was her lawful command in her mind

[tblue37]

50. Well, apparently he *did* let her in, so he complied. nt

[rocktivity]

92. Whoever was there let her in?

Does she live alone?


rocktivity

[blueinredohio]

32. If it was almost completely dark,who walks around their own house in the dark

and who goes into their own house and doesn't turn on the lights?

[haele]

55. I would walk around in the dark if I had just gone to bed.

All the lights would be off because most apartments are usually not that dark in the first place, even if those cheap blinds they put in apartments were drawn.
And I'd answer the door in the dark then also, as my eyes may not be fully adjusted from sleep and I can see better in the dark, without allowing the person at the door to see in. Turn some brighter lights on, and it can take up to a minute for eyes to adjust and a potential intruder can just barge in past me.

If I were coming in my apartment at night, though - I'll turn on a light, but not go full bright.

Haele

[Cattledog]

33. She shot another guy in May of 2017.

He survived.

[Lee-Lee]

34. Won't matter, she couldn't lawfully be there

She can testify to that all she wants.

His refusal to follow commands may speak to her mindset because she believed she was in her apartment, but the fact that she was in the wrong apartment negates is the crucial error here, making everything else that followed her fault.

[ProfessorGAC]

35. Was Waiting For You, Lee-Lee

That explanation is very concise and helpful. Thanks.

No matter what she says, she was a trespasser of sorts. Not following commands from someone in your own home? Really?

[Lee-Lee]

38. At most that just serves to make a strong manslaughter case

It shows her mindset wasn’t of a person who went intending to harm someone, and that intent is needed for it to be murder, but rather someone who made serious mistakes that were criminal, but not intentional, what’s needed for manslaughter.

It speaks to mindset. She thought someone she was in her own home, so in her mind he should have followed commands. Her belief she was in the right apartment meant that to her it was reasonable to expect compliance. But since her belief was based on her error, what she believed wasn’t what was true under the law.

[ProfessorGAC]

40. Yeah, When I Heard The Charge Was Manslaughter. . .

. . .and i thought about it for just a minute, i figured it was the right call. Unlikely there was motive or premeditation.

Just reckless behavior.

[R B Garr]

73. Did they drug/alcohol test her? That's usually standard

protocol after any officer-involved incident. I haven’t read all the data on this case, so maybe that’s been covered here already. She sure seems to be compromised by her own actions, maybe drunk.

[uponit7771]

49. There are witness's hearing her saying "let me in" if she that it was her apartment then why would

... she say that?

Somethings not adding up

[Lee-Lee]

59. Keep in mind media reports of eyewitnesses accounts right after are notoriously unreliable

The media rushes with anything anyone claiming to be an eyewitness says, and many people either get it wrong because they are genuinely confused or they make shit up just to get on camera or because they want to steer the story.

I don’t put much faith in unverified media claims of eyewitnesses accounts right after anything like this.

[brush]

74. There's more than one witness saying the same thing.

[ecstatic]

65. Not to mention, she was off duty. A civilian, just like everyone else...

So why TF does she think she can boss anyone around, inside or out of an apartment?!

[no_hypocrisy]

36. If the positions were changed and Jean shot the cop who broke into HIS home,

HE would have been arrested immediately, charged with murder of a cop, and given a $2 million bail bond.

[IluvPitties]

39. She is pure trash. She shot an innocent man in his own house!!!

[oasis]

41. For the sake of Justice,this trial should be televised. Half assed

prosecutors stay clear of this case.

[beachbum bob]

42. you don';t have to follow orders of some one who charged into YOUR apartment

[sinkingfeeling]

43. You know, I sincerely doubt I would 'obey' commands given by

someone who walked, uninvited, into my home.

[jberryhill]

46. Can you quote her original story?

Your subject line says she is "changing" her story.

There was a lot of speculation, but I don't recall her being quoted with a "first version" of her story.

Could you point me to the "changed" part?

[Demovictory9]

66. the article had a link lead in claiming she changed her story.

[jberryhill]

69. Interesting

That "earlier story" seems to be attributed to an anonymous source, so it's not clear to me whether she "changed her story" or that there had been so much speculation swirling around that her actual statement is at odds with what was just guessing games around "what her story might be".

The notion that the door was ajar and she went into a dark, occupied apartment without turning on the lights seems odd on its face though, but also keeps her in a state of "mistake" for longer than she might reasonably have actually been.

The physical layout - was he shot near the door or away from the door, etc., is going to have to match up, though.

Color me stupid, but isn't it usually the case that doors in modern apartment complexes (like this one having magnetic fobs) don't generally stay ajar?

[HopeAgain]

51. White cop, black victim

Dallas Texas. She will walk. I find it highly unlikely that I will be proven wrong.

[vi5]

52. And I'm sure the wingnuts who are constantly worried about...

Last edited Tue Sep 11, 2018, 06:28 PM - Edit history (1)

the government busting down their doors are going to leap to his defense......Yeah, I'm not going to hold my breath for that one.

[MagickMuffin]

54. What is this 4th amendment you speak of?

The 4th amendment has long been dead since the WOD!

[NutmegYankee]

83. WTF? - fourth amendment fetishists???

Mandatory daily strip searches for you!

[vi5]

84. It was poor phrasing/sarcasm...

....I meant the ancillary to the gun nuts who think that the government is going to be banging down their doors which is why they need guns.

[Raven123]

53. Ignore her commands? In his own apartment?

[Horse with no Name]

57. Not sure what the big deal is

I routinely follow commands from people that break into my house and startle me....

[csziggy]

58. Why should the resident of the apartment obey orders

From some unknown and unidentified intruder? He was in HIS OWN DAMN HOME. She entered illegally and then started yelling commands at him. He had no reason to do what she said.

Also, does she have a bright red mat in front of her apartment door? There are pictures of Botham Jean's door with his red mat - does she have an identical one at her door? If not, why wouldn't she have noticed it when she approached the WRONG DOOR?

Her statement reeks from her lies.

[ecstatic]

63. The family's attorney was just on CNN, said the cop had filed 2 noise complaints against Jean.

Jean's apartment was directly above hers. So that's strike 2.

On the night of the shooting, neighbors said they heard very loud knocking on Jean's door followed by gun shots. Strike 3. It's starting to look like premeditated, cold blooded murder.

[Hav]

70. Very interesting if that is true

It already felt as if there was some rage involved (loud knocking, yelling with the demand to open the door which is totally inconsistent with entering your own home or suspecting a home invasion followed by a use of the gun). I wouldn't be surprised if that night, she arrived first in her own apartment, got pissed off by something and then went to his apartment.
It was said she only lived there for a month. 2 complaints during the month you are there seems a lot.

[Anon-C]

75. #LivingInTheUnitAboveWhileBeingBlack

[moriah]

80. I have had some goddamned loud upstairs neighbors. It's just how apartments are.

Rolling chairs sound like they're bowling up there, blaring TVs at 3 in the morning, and don't get me started on knowing way too much about people's sex lives. I did call in a noise complaint to the landlord for the 3 AM blaring, because it'd been going on since earlier that evening and I wasn't the only resident wanting to call -- because either the person couldn't hear their direct next door neighbor who knocked, or had left with it at that volume. We'd had deaths in the complex (natural causes) and the courtesy of knocking to politely ask them to turn down the volume had been ignored.

It's Entitlement, pure and simple, that is prevalent in this case and many others, IMHO.

In one month, she felt so Entitled that she called in multiple complaints, including one that could only have been from the previous night if she'd been at work during the day. She couldn't get earplugs or earphones for when she had to sleep, oh no. Whether it was racism or police training, no, she was Entitled to absolutely no noise from above.

I don't know about you, but I have never heard of a door where you don't have to turn the key. If it was at all unlatched vs unlocked, and if she'd remembered locking the door, it should have made her think there was an intruder before entering -- and if she truly thought she was at the right apartment, that should have made her back up and call for police. She was off-duty, had no backup, and it's absolutely idiotic to try to deal with a home intruder by yourself if you've got them essentially trapped vs YOU being trapped.

No, she felt Entitled to go charging in, gun drawn, because She Was A Cop. She admits she went into "cop mode" without being on duty, issuing commands to whoever might be inside and feeling Entitled to take a life when allegedly not immediately "obeyed".

Texas law says castle doctrine applies to "occupied habitation", and there's logically very good reason to protect legally those who are trapped in a home faced by someone entering without permission who feel afraid enough to shoot. There is NO logical reason to protect idiots from the consequences of storming in Lone Ranger style when they think an intruder is inside -- 3 or 4 stories up isn't much of an escape. Whether that consequence is getting shot by the startled REAL homeowner, or the legal consequences for shooting someone in their own home.

And that's giving her the absolute most generous interpretation and benefit of the doubt. She was an Entitled Idiot.

And a murderer as a result.

If police had handled this appropriately, the first time witnesses spoke about hearing her issue commands wouldn't be to the media. She learned about this witness statement before her own being taken by the Rangers because their statements weren't taken immediately -- if they had, recognizing the significance, I'm sure they would have been asked to keep quiet for a little while knowing she wasn't interviewed yet.

Whether the noise complaints are merely an example of her Entitlement and not the reason for his murder, they are part of a pattern about the Entitlement and Power having a gun gives some people, especially those who get to wave it around on-duty as a job requirement.

[tblue37]

86. Re: "I have never heard of a door where you don't have to turn the key."

Hotels have key cards now, and some upscale apartments do, too. This one has been called an upscale apartment complex, and I have read elsewhere that it uses electronic keys. However, those kinds of doors close themselves automatically unless they are propped open, so I seriously doubt that the door was ajar, as she ha claimed it was.

Since she is almost undoubtedly lying about the door being ajar, I am willing to bet the witnesses are telling the truth about her pounding on the door and yelling for him to let her in. If she actually did believe she was at her own apartment and that there was an intruder inside, then she is just an incredibly stupid cop who charges into dangerous situations without any thought or planning, even when there is no reason to, because the supposed intruder is trapped inside, so she could just wait for backup.

Or she knew she was at the wrong apartment, but for some reason decided to draw her gun and demand to be let in.

BTW, if she didn't notice the red welcome mat outside his door (which she did not have at her own apartment), much less the lit up apartment number prominently displayed next to the door, then she is also incredibly unobservant. Someone that oblivious shouldn't be carrying a gun at all.

The only thing I can think of that wouldn't suggest that she deliberately went to his apartment to confront him (perhaps over her feeling that he was being too noisy, though no one else seems to have complained about that) is if she was so high or drunk that she couldn't see straight or think straight.

If we actually get to know about her drug/alcohol screening, I will not be at all surprised if she was seriously impaired by one or both. OTOH, it would not surprise me if the results of her drug/alcohol test is suppressed by the PD--if they turn out to indicate that she was drunk or high.

[Iggo]

71. Oh shit!

[Cha]

85. Thanks, I haven't heard that yet.. about

"noise complaints".. Jeeze.

That doesn't sound like what we know of Bo Jean, huh?

[budkin]

64. HERO

COP = HERO. Case closed. /sarcasm

[Eliot Rosewater]

76. Why doiesnt she just say , he black, me that other color poster cant mention, no harm no foul

I mean that is the rule, I forgot to add me cop.

[OAITW r.2.0]

77. I've seen pictures of her with what appears to be a daughter...

Assuming she really thought this was her residence, seems pretty reckless to shoot into an apartment without first know the whereabouts of her daughter in the apartment.

[underthematrix]

79. Wait a minute. She has a dog and a kid?

Also, who enters a completely dark apt without reaching for a light switch?

[rocktivity]

87. UPDATE: Police Gear found in vicitm's apartment

Was it REALLY just a great big coincidence that she walked into his apartment, that the door wasn't locked, AND that he just happened to be in possession of police gear? Or am I supposed to believe that this is just another case of a cop killing someone too bombed out on marijuana to live?

link


rocktivity

[Cha]

88. Thank you for this link, rocktivity.

I've been thinking about this.. and according to Bo Jean's reported last words..

If Amber Guyger gave him "verbal commands".. Why was he so incredulous she Shot him?!

After the gunshots, one of the witnesses reported hearing what she thought was a man's voice saying, "Oh my God, why did you do that," Merritt said.

https://www.dallasnews.com/news/dallas-police/2018/09/10/affidavit-amber-guyger-says-saw-silhouette-heading-dark-apartment-shot-silhouette-after-commands-ignored

[Demovictory9]

89. very confusing. what is going on here?

[onenote]

90. Where has it been said that Jean was "in possession" of police gear

The backpack and other "police" gear seized at the site almost certainly were the cop's. Also listed as being seized: two fired cartridge casings and 2 used packages of medical aid -- I don't think those belonged to Jean either.

[rocktivity]

91. As opposed to Jean being in possession of the pot, you mean?

Last edited Sat Sep 15, 2018, 09:53 AM - Edit history (1)

That's why the news report was "donkeyed" -- it was damn sure IMPLIED.


rocktivity