The8-year-oldnephew of Atatiana “Tay” Jefferson, the Black woman fatally shot in her own home by a Texas police officer Saturday, witnessed the killing, an attorney for Jefferson’s family told HuffPost.
Lee Merritt, a civil rights attorney representing Jefferson’s family, said the boy will begin counseling Monday in the wake of his beloved aunt’s death.
Advertisement
A Fort Worth, Texas, police officer shot Jefferson through a bedroom window from outside her home around 2:30 a.m. Saturday while conducting a wellness check of the residence. A neighbor had called the police department’s non-emergency line to express concern that a door to the house was open.
Video from the body camera worn by the officer who fired the shot shows him entering the backyard of the house, turning left, suddenly grabbing for his gun and pointing it at the window.
Advertisement
“Put your hands up! Show me your hands!” he can be heard shouting before immediately firing one round through the screen window.
The officers then entered the house and provided emergency medical care to Jefferson, but she died at the scene, officials said.
Advertisement
The Fort Worth Police Department hasn’t released the name of the officer, but has described him as a “white male who has been with the department since April of 2018.”
He has been placed on administrative leave pending the results of an internal investigation. He is scheduled to be interviewed by the department’s major case unit on Monday.
Police Chief Edwin Kraus said during a press conference Sunday that the officer did not identify himself as a police officer before opening fire. A statement released by the police department Sunday confirmed Jefferson’s nephew was in the room at the time of the shooting.
“This tragic loss of life has major ramifications for all involved, especially the family of Ms. Atatiana Jefferson,” according to the statement. “We have communicated with the family and shared our serious and heartfelt concern for this unspeakable loss.”
Advertisement
The police department hasn’t responded to HuffPost’s request for comment about whether any of the officers who responded to the wellness check request knocked on Jefferson’s front door or announced their presence before she was shot.
Jefferson had been living in the house to help take care of her mother, who has a medical condition, Merritt said. She was a graduate of Xavier University of Louisiana and worked in pharmaceutical equipment sales.
She was proud of being the “cool auntie,” Merritt told The New York Times, and was up late playing video games with her nephew the night she was killed. The two had been playing Halo when they heard a noise outside, he said. She went to the bedroom window to investigate and was shot by the police officer.
Police released still frames from body camera footage that appeared to show a firearm they found inside Jefferson’s home. They have not said whether she was wielding a weapon when she was shot.
Advertisement
“It wouldn’t matter because that’s her home,” Merritt told the Times, adding that Jefferson was a legal gun owner.
The shooting sparked anger and disgust among community members. A candlelight vigil for Jefferson on Sunday night became a protest against police brutality with many calling for the officer to be fired and indicted.
Protests in Texas after police officer responding to welfare check call fired a shot into a bedroom window, striking and killing 28-year-old Atatiana Jefferson. https://t.co/OKBSIbKqSipic.twitter.com/xPzQgUvijW
“It’s another one of those situations where the people who are supposed to protect us are actually not here to protect us,” Amber Carr, Jefferson’s older sister, told NBC Dallas/Fort Worth. “You know, you want to see justice, but justice don’t bring my sister back.”
Jefferson’s killing comes less than two weeks after former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger, who is white, was convicted of murdering her unarmed neighbor in his own apartment.
Advertisement
Botham Jean, who is Black, had been watching TV when Guyger stormed in, saying she believed an intruder was in her own apartment, which was a floor below. She was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.