Additional Coverage:
A jury has ordered former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger to pay $98 million in damages for the fatal shooting of Botham Jean in his own home.
The jury found that Guyger, who was convicted of murder in 2018 and sentenced to 10 years in prison, used excessive force in the 2018 shooting.
Jean’s family had sought $54 million in damages. The jury awarded $60 million in punitive damages and $38 million in compensatory damages.
Jean’s family and their legal team said the verdict sends a message that law enforcement officers who commit crimes cannot avoid the consequences of their actions.
Guyger was off-duty but in uniform when she returned to her apartment complex and mistakenly entered Jean’s apartment, believing it was her own.
Guyger, who is white, shot Jean, who is Black, as he sat eating ice cream in his living room. She said she believed he was a burglar.
The case has highlighted issues of racial bias and police accountability.