Running head: FORT WORTH SHOOTING 1

Fort Worth Shooting

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Fort Worth Shooting

No, Officer Aaron Dean was not justified to shoot Atatiana Jefferson in her own home

through the window. Under the current law, it is prohibited for an officer to use deadly force in

an attempt to arrest a transgressor. It’s also required that the officer informs the arrestee that

he/she is being apprehended by an officer of law. The issue of self-defense on the officer’s side

arises when the individual resists arrest. A police officer is also justified to shoot when the

suspect is fleeing from the scene of arrest. However, in both cases, an officer is warranted to

shoot if and only if he reasonably believes that the individual poses a substantial threat to other

citizens or to them.

In our case study, we see that Aaron Dean shot Jefferson within seconds after she came

towards her window to observe the police who were outside her house. The body camera footage

does not show the police identifying themselves as the officers of the law and it doesn’t show

whether Jefferson was armed or not. The footage also shows no indication that Aaron could see

any weapon that Atatiana could’ve been holding since the reflection from the flashlight that he

held blocked the windows view (Today, 2019). Atatiana also made no effort to flee from the

scene since she came to her window to observe what was happening. Therefore, Dean had no

justifiable reason to shoot Jefferson

. We see that Aaron Dean is a white officer and Jefferson is a black citizen. Negative

stereotypes of the black race may have prompted his actions. Aaron Dean graduated from the

police academy just the year before the shooting event. This means that he had not gained

enough experience in the police force and hence he was rush in his decisions in the scene.
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Reference

Today. (2019, October 15). Texas Officer Who Fatally Shot Woman in Her Home Charged

with Murder | Today. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?

reload=9&v=qkU1QTYyrsY&feature=emb_title