Amber Guyger, the Dallas police officer who shot and killed Botham Jean in his apartment last week after police said she entered the wrong unit, has been charged with manslaughter. Soon after her name became public, social media users began sharing three photos of her relatives, and the images drew sharp criticism online, according to the Dallas Morning News.
One photo shows Noe, Guyger’s brother in law, making a hand gesture that some viewers compared to a white power sign. Another shows him holding up an L and a W with his fingers. The third shows Guyger’s mother wearing an All Lives Matter shirt, a slogan many people see as a response to the Black Lives Matter movement.
The family pushed back on how the photos were being read. In an interview, Noe said the family is not racist and pointed out that he is Mexican. “We all bleed red,” he said.
He explained that the first photo was taken at his father in law’s 69th birthday, so the gesture was a 69. According to Fox News, he said the L and W sign was a nod to one of his favorite bands, Lagwagon. Also according to Fox News, Guyger’s sister Alana said the shirt was a gift to their mother after the 2016 ambush that killed five Dallas police officers.
The photos show Guyger’s relatives, not Guyger herself, and the family says each one has an innocent explanation. Baller Alert will keep you posted as the case develops.
