Ex-police officer ordered to pay $98 million to family of Dallas man killed in his home

Former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger was ordered to pay $98 million in a civil trial for using excessive force in the fatal shooting of Botham Jean in his home six years ago. Guyger, who was convicted of murder in 2018 and sentenced to 10 years in prison, did not attend the trial and did not have a lawyer present. The jury found that Guyger acted with malice and awarded $60 million in punitive damages, along with an additional $38 million in compensatory damages for mental anguish and loss of earnings. Jean’s family had sought $54 million in damages. The incident occurred when Guyger, off-duty but in uniform, mistakenly entered Jean’s apartment thinking it was her own and fatally shot him. Guyger testified that she believed Jean was a threat and apologized for taking an innocent life. Jean was Black and Guyger is white, adding to the racial tensions surrounding the case.

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