Sister of Atatiana Jefferson Files $10M Wrongful Death Lawsuit

In 2019, A Texas police officer fatally shot 28-year-old Atatiana Jefferson through the window of her home while she was playing video games with her nephew.

According to CNN, her sister has filed a wrongful death lawsuit seeking $10 million in damages.

Ashely Carr sued Mayor Betsy Price, retired police Chief Ed Kraus, the city of Fort Worth, and Aaron Dean, the former officer who killed Jefferson.

The suit claims that Fort Worth neglected to train and discipline its officers properly and that Kraus and Price “knew of the failures of the Fort Worth Police Department…but failed to take the necessary steps to rectify the failures and adequately protect the constitutional rights of the people of Fort Worth.”

Dean’s training records and “concerns about his abilities as a police officer” were also included in the complaint. They claim Jefferson’s death was caused by the city’s inability to offer additional instruction.

Those “failures resulted in Defendant Dean failing to properly respond to the open-door call and instead sneak around the house with a gun drawn ready to shoot at the first figure that appeared in a window,” the suit claims.

According to police, Dean didn’t identify himself before shooting Jefferson in front of her nephew. He reportedly looked into the window and yelled, “Put your hands up, show me your hands.”

The ex-cop has since been charged with murder in connection with the shooting. A judge set his preliminary trial date for August. Dean and the city are also facing a wrongful death lawsuit from Jefferson’s biological father, aunt, and other relatives.