Aaron Dean, the former Fort Worth Police Officer convicted of manslaughter earlier this month for the 2019 shooting of Atatiana Jefferson, had his mugshot revealed from the state prison where he is expected to be incarcerated for nearly the next 12 years.
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice said Dean is in the Ramsey Unit in Rosharon, outside of Houston.
Dean was sentenced on December 20 to 11 years, 10 months, and 12 days, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
Dean killed Atatiana Jefferson in her home in October 2019 after he and another officer responded to a non-emergency call reporting that the door to Jefferson’s home was open. Dean said he saw the silhouette of a person with a gun through a window in the backyard and fired his gun.
Jefferson was reportedly investigating the noises made by Dean and his partner while armed with a gun. Police later learned that Jefferson had left the door open to air out the house after burning hamburgers.
Dean took the stand earlier in the trial and claimed that he was investigating what he believed to be a burglary in progress at Jefferson’s home based on the home’s messy appearance.
Dean admitted under cross-examination that some actions he took, such as lingering in the backyard and not identifying himself as a police officer, amounted to “bad police work.”
Dean’s sister, ahead of sentencing, defended her brother, describing his actions as a “split-second decision.”
Ashley Carr, the sister of Atatiana Jefferson, testified that Jefferson’s death has taken a tremendous toll on her and her family. She said this is especially true of Jefferson’s nephew, Zion Carr, who was present at the time of the shooting and needed to undergo counseling as a result.
“Zion feels like all of this is his fault,” Ashley Carr said.
Though Dean’s trial has drawn significant media attention, the problem of crime in DFW is much broader. This is especially true in Dallas, where the city council and other political authorities in recent years have not prioritized public safety and law enforcement.
An open door in itself is not an indication of anything wrong. We open our door regularly.
The question in my mind is why did the officers consider that it was justified to enter a back yard at all? Exigency MUST EXIST and be definable and describable within defined limits BEFORE any officer can violate civil rights by unlawful entry into an abode or surrounding lands and appurtenances.
Sorry, but there WAS NO SPLIT SECOND DECISION, there was an unlawful action by police to begin with.
Having chased three officers out of my back yard on occasion, I find this verdict rational. IN fact those three would not even listen to my ORDER for them to retreat from trespass….until I told them I was going in my house and returning armed to take out three criminals carrying guns and wearing fake police uniforms. They left instantly, upon realization that they were committing a criminal act. Thank God for body cams. All police should be REQUIRED to wear them and keep them active at all times when on duty.
This did not happen to me in Texas, but still it is very common.
How is it that u get more time for a nonaggravated drug charge then u get for killing a person and what does that say about our justice system