Family of Dallas man shot in his home by ex-police officer receives $98 million in jury verdict

A jury ordered former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger to pay $98 million for using excessive force in the fatal shooting of Botham Jean in his home six years ago. This civil verdict and penalty came five years after Guyger was convicted of murder in 2018 for killing Jean and sentenced to prison. The jury found Guyger acted with “malice, willfulness, or callous and reckless indifference” to Jean’s safety, awarding his family $60 million in punitive damages and $38 million in compensatory damages. Jean’s family had sought $54 million in damages. In a federal complaint, Jean’s family described Guyger’s actions on the night of the shooting as “clearly excessive and clearly unreasonable”. Guyger, who was off-duty but in uniform, mistakenly entered Jean’s apartment thinking it was her own and shot him as he ate ice cream. Guyger testified at her criminal trial that she never wanted to take an innocent person’s life and was scared, not motivated by hate. Guyger is white, while Jean, a Black man from St. Lucia, was the victim. Guyger did not attend the recent trial, and her lawyer said she could not afford one.

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