“I thought it was my apartment.”

These words have been the controversial statement that is stirring up the killing of Botham Jean, an entrepreneur in Dallas who was shot in his own apartment.

On Sept. 6, 2018, an off-duty police officer, Amber Guyger, entered into Jean’s apartment, confusing it for her own. When she noticed that the door was slightly ajar, she took out her gun and yelled at Jean to get down. After an exchange of words, neighbors heard two gunshots. The paramedics arrived to the South Side Flats after Guyger’s 911 call. The audio of that call can be found here. Botham later died at the Baylor University Medical Center.

On Sept. 9, Guyger was charged with the manslaughter of Jean. She told investigators that she had parked on the wrong floor of her apartment building after returning home from her job, and she unconsciously entered Jean’s apartment. Guyger claims that the room itself was dark and, with the door already open, assumed her home was being robbed. She shot when Jean did not obey her “verbal commands.” Once she turned on the lights, she quickly realized that she was not in her apartment.

Jean’s family is afraid that because Guyger is a Dallas police officer, she is going to be given favorable treatment due to her close ties with the department.

“Botham Jean is not here to give his version of what happened because he’s dead,” said Benjamin Crump, a family lawyer for the case.

Others question Guyger and the Police Department for a lack of training. They argue that authority figures should be better trained to de-escalate any conflict.

Others say that even though Guyger was in the wrong apartment, she believed that she was defending her life and property.

Although it is being handled by the Dallas Police Department, Black Lives Matter activists have passionately and respectfully gone out of their way to be able to find justice for Jean and find peace for his family.

“Give me justice for my son because he does not deserve what he got,” said Allison Jean, mother of Botham Jean. “I will not sit back and see that justice does not prevail.”

Investigators of the case have gone as far as to issue a warrant to search Jean’s apartment, which resulted in the discovery of 10.4 grams of marijuana. However, a warrant to search Guyger’s apartment has yet to be issued.

This story will be updated as the story develops.