A Dallas County grand jury has made a good next step toward holding fired Dallas police officer Amber Guyger accountable in the killing of Botham Jean, an innocent unarmed man gunned down in his own home.
After deliberating last week, it returned a murder charge against Guyger, who after returning from a long shift in uniform, said she mistook his apartment for hers and shot him in the chest.
Guyger, of course, deserves her day in court. But in so many ways, sending this bizarre case to trial was the only just decision. Jean's family _ and this entire community _ need to have all the facts thoroughly examined to get to the bottom of this heartbreakingly senseless act.
Guyger, 30, was arrested on a manslaughter charge after the Sept. 6 shooting. Understandably, there has been much debate about whether a murder charge was more appropriate. Attorneys, including incoming Dallas County district attorney-elect John Creuzot, believe the circumstances of the case warranted the more serious charge.
They point out that Guyger didn't accidentally discharge her weapon. She intended to shoot the person who turned out to be 26-year-old Jean. Manslaughter calls for a determination of recklessness. The grand jury apparently agreed.
We worry, though, that the murder charge creates a greater risk of a not guilty verdict. Getting a murder conviction, with its stiffer sentence, will be a tougher case to win _ especially against a police officer _ with so many questions surrounding the circumstances of the shooting.
Guyger said she mistakenly thought Jean was an intruder in her own apartment and opened fire. Guyger's apartment was one floor below Jean's.
Prosecutors walking away with nothing in Guyger's case would compound this horrific tragedy. We know how rare murder indictments and convictions against police officers are. When former Balch Springs officer Roy Oliver was convicted and sentenced to 15 years in the killing of Jordan Edwards, it was the first time in 40 years that a Texas police officer had been convicted of murder in an on-duty shooting.
Still, we understand why Jean's family hoped for a murder indictment in the name of justice. A citizen in this city ought to be able to watch a football game in his own apartment without being shot to death.
Botham Jean _ an accountant originally from St. Lucia devoted to ministries at Dallas West Church of Christ _ was one of the city's bright lights. It's sickening that we won't know what he could have accomplished in his life.
It's now up to prosecutors to present an effective case for a jury to weigh. Guyger has a right to defend herself. If this was a mistake, we believe there's room for sympathy. But dire actions deserve a consideration of tough consequences.
This young man's life meant something. His family _ and this community _ deserve full accountability and justice.
