In 2019 a Black woman was fatally shot by a former Forth Worth, TX officer, and three years later, her family is still waiting to receive justice for her death.
Ashley Carr, a sister of Atatiana Jefferson, said it’s “surreal” to see the matter go to trial finally.
“We’ve been fighting and fussing about having this day and making sure that accountability is served for my sister’s death,” she told Good Morning America. “But now it’s really here, and it’s a realization that this is not in our control. This is in control of the jurors.”
Aaron Dean’s murder trial began on Monday after Dean fatally shot Jefferson in her Fort Worth, Texas, home on Oct. 12, 2019.
Police say that Dean was responding to a welfare check after a concerned neighbor noticed Jefferson’s front door was left open.
Dean has entered a not-guilty plea to the charges.
Protest erupted in 2019 after none of the 12 chosen jurors were Black but were people of color.
The handgun that Jefferson was holding just before Dean shot her has been the critical issue in the trial so far.
Miles Brissette, the defense attorney, argued Dean acted in self-defense after seeing Jefferson’s silhouette in the window with a gun pointing at him.
As for the prosecution, they argued Dean couldn’t have seen the gun before he started shooting.
During the trial, Jefferson’s then 8-year-old nephew Zion Carr testified that he was playing video games and cooking hamburgers with his aunt just before Dean shot her.
In questioning, Carr, now 11, confirmed that his aunt never raised the gun from her side during that night’s traumatic events.
According to retired Fort Worth Police Chief Ed Kraus, Dean’s conduct violated multiple police department policies, including “our use of force policy, our de-escalation policy, and unprofessional conduct.”
“I certainly have not been able to make sense of why she had to lose her life,” Kraus said at the time. “On behalf of the men and women of the Fort Worth Police Department, I’m so sorry for what occurred.”
“We understand as a family that there is nothing that we can do in this process but be present,” Ashley Carr said. “So our goal is to be present to make sure everyone knows that Atatiana was loved.”
Ashley Carr claimed that she and her family have spoken at the White House and U.S. Senate as part of their efforts to “keep the momentum” going in favor of keeping the memory of their sister alive.
“They joined the fight for families all across the country,” said Lee Merritt, the family’s attorney. “They’ve been a part of a community of activists and organizers who were at the forefront of what became a major moment in history during the Black Lives Matter movement.”
The Atatiana Project, a nonprofit organization, founded by Jefferson’s siblings, aims to encourage STEM activities and education among urban youth.
In addition, the family hosted a free summer camp where children could build robots and computers.
“Our goal is just to amplify how beautiful Atatiana was,” Carr said, remembering her sister as an avid video gamer, animal lover, and aspiring medical student. “If you go on our website, we say she didn’t die. She will multiply through the generations that we serve.”
“She was my little sister but was such a big person,” she added.
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