Five years ago, former police officer Amber Guyger shot and killed the beloved accountant in his own apartment after she thought he walked into her apartment, mistaking him for an intruder. Jean’s mother is back in Dallas frustrated and describing what it feels like every time she hears the mayor’s welcome at the airport.
Five years have passed since Botham Jean was shot and killed by an off-duty police officer, Amber Guyger.
Botham Jean, the 26-year-old accountant, was eating ice cream in his living room when Guyger walked into Jean's apartment and shot and killed him. The pain of his death still haunts his family.
She shot my son right down the middle of his heart, the bullet pierced every organ in his body and lodged in his spine. Tell me Dallas, is any one of you safe? Is any one of you safe from police officers who are supposed to protect this city of Dallas?
Allison Jean, Botham Jean's mother
A civil suit filed by the family of Botham Jean stands still, as they continue to seek justice for the tragedy.
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The family says they have been met with inaction and feel anger towards the city of Dallas.
"This is the city that took away my son... it is painful it is hurtful, and I'm sorry, I hate Dallas," Allison Jean, Botham's mother, said.
Jean says the family has requested meetings with Mayor Eric Johnson repeatedly but has still been unable to sit down with him, with Jean saying that "he's too busy to hear [them]."
Dallas Police and a city spokesperson told NBC 5 that because there is pending litigation, they are unable to comment.
To the city of Dallas: We need you to do the right thing. We don't just need you to put pleasantries. We don't need you to put street names.
Dallas minister Dominque Alexander, in a press conference
Daryl Washington, the family's attorney, is demanding that Dallas does right by them. He says the city should bypass the federal law that protects cities from liability for officer-involved shootings.
Washington says the civil lawsuit against Amber Guyger could go to trial next year.
Guyger is serving a ten-year prison sentence for murder and is eligible for parole next September.
"As I have every fiber in my body, I will fight for justice for Botham," Allison Jean said.
