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What to Know
Aaron Dean takes the stand on the trial’s fourth day saying “the jury needs to hear from me and hear the truth.” The defense rests its case on the trial’s fifth day. Closing arguments are set to begin Wednesday morning. The prosecution called its rebuttal witness to the stand before resting Tuesday afternoon.
Prosecutors and defense lawyers closed their cases Tuesday, the fifth day of the Aaron Dean trial, the former Fort Worth Officer charged with murder in the shooting death of Atatiana Jefferson in 2019. Lawyers will give closing arguments Wednesday.
After closing arguments, the Tarrant County jury will begin deliberations, according to the state District Judge George Gallagher. Jurors will be sequestered until they reach a verdict.
Dean shot and killed Atatiana Jefferson through a window of her mother’s Fort Worth home on Oct. 12, 2019. He was one of the officers who responded to a non-emergency call by a neighbor who was concerned about an open door at the home.
On the night of the shooting, Jefferson was playing video games with her then-8-year-old nephew, who was the only witness inside the house. Jefferson’s nephew, Zion Carr, 11, testified on day one of the trial saying he and his aunt burned some hamburgers earlier in the evening and that the door was opened to ventilate the house.
Recalling the moments leading up to the fatal shooting, Carr said he and his aunt forgot the front door was still open when they were playing video games and she got up to investigate a noise she heard outside.
Dean and his partner, Carol Darch, did not announce themselves when they arrived at the home Both Dean and his partner, Carol Darch, testified that the home looked like it had been ransacked. They said department policies did not require that they announce their presence at an “open structure” call or during a burglary in progress.
“It looked like someone had methodically gone through the house,” she Darch, adding that she didn’t hear anything in front of the home.
Jefferson’s nephew, Zion Carr, told a child forensic interviewer the morning of the shooting that Jefferson pointed a gun toward the window. Carr gave conflicting stories when he said she kept the gun at her side, on the stand last week.
Carr also told the interviewer he heard someone yell outside the window and thought he saw a police badge but in his testimony, Carr said he didn’t hear or see anything outside. Defense lawyers implied to Judge George Gallagher, who is proceeding over the trial, they believe Carr was coached to give a different account of the shooting.
Dean’s partner, Darch, testified about the difference between “open structure” and “welfare check” calls as well as “burglary-in-progress.” They were responding to an “open structure” call when Dean shot and killed Atatiana Jefferson.
Darch testified they started walking toward the side door and backyard and said Dean took the lead as they went into the backyard and that they did not call for backup.
Darch’s testimony spoke to the vital issue in the case: whether Dean saw Jefferson’s gun before he opened fire. Darch testified that she never saw Jefferson’s gun and said she never heard Dean announce “gun” before he opened fire.
Dean, 38, took the stand in his own defense this week before both sides rested their cases saying “the jury needs to hear from me and hear the truth.”
During his testimony, Dean admitted he made mistakes when responding to an open structure call but said he had no choice when he fatally shot the woman and said that he’d have done it again if she’d exited the house with a gun pointed at him.
Dean also said Jefferson was bent over and stood upright as he drew his service weapon. He said her gun was near her chest, and he saw the barrel of the gun through the window after describing what he saw as a “silhouette.” Dean’s lawyers have said he followed his training and met deadly force with deadly force.
Dean resigned from the police department before he could be fired, the then-interim police chief said at the time.
Jay Coons, a criminal justice professor at Sam Houston State University testified for the defense, saying Dean’s actions as a police officer were reasonable.
Coons told jurors the officers “didn’t know what they had” other than an open door.
A forensic video evidence expert said that just about a half second lapsed from when Dean started shouting commands at Jefferson to when he pulled the trigger. The prosecution argued that given Coons’ prior testimony, Jefferson wouldn’t have had enough time to respond to the officer’s orders before the lethal shot was fired, piercing her heart.
Dean yelled, “Put your hands up, show me your hands,” before firing, his body-camera footage shows. Dean did not alert his partner he saw a gun until after seeing the gun at Jefferson’s feet when they got into the home, according to the partner’s testimony and the body-camera footage.
Coons testified that the department’s policy for open structure calls does not prohibit officers from announcing themselves. He said it is implied they shouldn’t make themselves known if the officers believe something nefarious is happening. Coons said the mere presence of an officer in a police uniform is a form of announcement.
He later implied while being questioned by a prosecutor that he did not believe Dean committed a crime when he killed Jefferson.
“Police officers are trained that when a firearm is pointed at you, shoot that individual, you are in extreme danger, you are in danger of being shot and killed,” Coons said. “As far as the training, as far as your options as a human being, it’s down to one decision… one decision only.”
Prosecutors rested their case after only three days of testimony, which surprised legal experts and community leaders. Initially, they did not put on an expert to testify to whether Dean’s killing of Jefferson was justified, but after the defense called three witnesses, including Dean, the prosecution presented a rebuttal witness.
Jonathyn Priest, a retired Denver police officer who now works as a consultant on police use-of-force cases, testified for the prosecution and said Dean should not have walked around the house. Priest said Dean should have either announced himself as police when he walked up to the open front door or called for backup.
“My opinion is they shouldn’t have left the front door,” Priest said. “Anything after leaving that front door creates potential risk and danger.”
The final two witnesses gave conflicting testimonies about whether Dean was following police protocols when he went into Jefferson’s backyard unannounced.
This high-profile story of Jefferson’s death gained national attention and caused protests against police brutality across North Texas.
The family has described Jefferson as a loving aunt and aspiring doctor. She grew up in the Oak Cliff area of Dallas and graduated from Xavier University of Louisiana. Her older sister, Ashley Carr, says Jefferson had recently moved back in with her mother, Yolanda after she fell ill. Jefferson was also saving up for medical school.
Carr says her mother’s side door was often open, referring to it as “the kind of home you can always come into.”
This trial is ongoing. Please refresh for updates. This story will continue to be updated throughout the day.
