DALLAS _ Dallas church leaders called for nonviolence pending a jury's verdict in the killing of Botham Jean, who was shot by former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger inside his apartment last year.
The jury was deliberating Monday afternoon after a seven-day trial in which attorneys argued why Guyger should or shouldn't be found guilty of Jean's murder. Jurors also have the option of convicting her of manslaughter, or no crime at all.
Church leaders asked for people to honor "the spirit of Botham," even if the jury finds Guyger not guilty.
Leaders such as Jonathan Morrison, a senior minister at the Cedar Crest Church of Christ, asked during a press conference at the courthouse Monday that if people protest a not-guilty verdict, they do so in a peaceful and nonviolent way.
"Botham was a peaceful person, he was not a person of violence," Morrison said in an interview with the Star-Telegram. "What we were trying to convey is the fact that it is understandable and perfectly OK for a person to be angry or upset _ to be outraged even. But even in our rage, even in our frustration, we need to again honor Botham through responding in the spirit of which he would respond."
Morrison also read a statement at the Dallas County courthouse ahead of the verdict.
"We recognize that there are several sides to every story. We know the outcome, like these sides, may not be what Botham Jean's family wants. What we want," he said at the courthouse. "But what we also want going forward is Botham's non-violent spirit to prevail."
The statement, which was also sent out through email as a press release, was sent on behalf of the Dallas Area Preachers and Church Leaders group.
After Jean's shooting in September 2018, hundreds of people protested in Dallas.
Morrison said people may protest again if Guyger is not found guilty because the case is reminiscent of other police officers who shot and killed unarmed black men.
"We understand every set of circumstances are different, and circumstances surrounding this case are definitely unique, but it's reminiscent of what we've experienced and seen so many times, particular in the African American community," he said.
Jean's family, as well as the Dallas Area Preachers and Church Leaders, are hoping the jury finds Guyger guilty of murder, Morrison said.
Prosecutors told jurors that a guilty murder verdict is appropriate in the case, even though manslaughter, which carries a two- to 20-year prison sentence on conviction, is a charge the jury can consider.
Guyger's defense attorney Toby Shook said Guyger shooting Jean was a tragic mistake, and the law protects people who make mistakes based on incorrect assumptions. Guyger testified that she mistook Jean's apartment for her own and thought he was an intruder.
