Dallas Cop Walks Into Wrong Apartment, Kills Man Inside
The officer entered the apartment mistakenly thinking it was her own.
A Dallas man was killed in his own home last night by a police officer who mistakenly entered his apartment thinking it was her own.
The officer, who has not been named, had just returned to her apartment complex after working a full shift, according to statement from Dallas Police. She told officers who responded to the shooting "that she entered the victim's apartment believing that it was her own," the statement says.
It's not clear how the situation escalated, but at some point the officer fired her weapon and hit the man. The victim, identified as 26-year-old Botham Shem Jean, was taken to Baylor University Medical Center and later pronounced dead. The officer was not injured.
Dallas Police are conducting a joint investigation into the shooting with the Dallas District Attorney's Office. According to the Associated Press, Dallas police are "seeking a warrant for manslaughter" in the killing.
The officer has been placed on administrative leave, police say. Her short-term fate is relatively common, as there are many examples of officers getting paid not to work following their involvement in controversial shootings.
According to The Washington Post, nearly 700 people have been fatally shot by police in 2018. Bowling Green State University professor Phil Stinson said last month that just 90 cops involved in fatal shootings have faced criminal charges since 2005.
This post has been updated.