Amber Guyger Charged with Manslaughter -Cleo Chaney

Original Article: https://www.npr.org/2018/09/10/646267932/manslaughter-charge-for-dallas-police-officer-who-killed-a-man-in-his-own-apartm

On Sunday the off-duty cop Amber Guyger, who shot and killed Botham Shem Jean in his own apartment, was charged with manslaughter. Many are upset about how Guyger was handled by the justice system, which was doubtlessly different from how a non-officer would have been treated.

The current narrative is that Guyger was returning home from a shift, still armed and in uniform, and entered Jean's apartment, which is directly above hers, instead of her own. Thinking he was a burglar, she gave him orders which he didn't follow and shot him. If this is the truth, than manslaughter seems to be an appropriate charge; however, if Guyger just made a mistake, it was a mistake that cost someone's life. Officers continually do this; triggered by fear they make the wrong decision. After a long day a work, Amber must have been fatigued considering she entered the wrong apartment. No one should be carrying a weapon with the ability to kill someone if they are in that mental state, especially when you look at Guyger who already shot an unarmed man in  May 2017,

In addition to the headlines, more details have been added to the case. Guyger's key was in the door but the door was not unlocked. Would she not have noticed that the key didn't work or that the door was already unlocked? Jean's apartment had a bright red welcome mat unlike any other apartment in the complex. How did she miss that? Witnesses said they heard knocking at Jean's door and a woman saying "let me in." If that was not the voice of Guyger then whose was it? Many doubt the claims that this was an accidental misfortune, including me, but unfortunately the hole truth may never be known.

Whether this situation was an accident or not, it brings in the topic of race. Guyger is white while Jean is black. Since the beginning of the United States, any assumption, false claim, or quick judgement a white person made could result in the death of a black person. In 1955, Emmett Till was killed because he was falsely accused of making advances on a white woman. There are numerous cases just like this one and it seems like Jean's death may be added to the list.