*After less than 24 hours of deliberation, a jury has found former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger guilty of murder.
Guyger was indicted last year after fatally shooting her unarmed neighbor, Botham Jean, in his apartment, which she said she mistook as hers.
As we reported earlier, deliberations began Monday afternoon after a week-long trial, which included the playing of the 911 call that Guyger made after shooting Jean as well as dramatic bodycam video from officers who responded to the scene.
Jurors were given the option of finding Guyger, 31, guilty of the lesser offense of manslaughter. With the murder conviction, Guyger now faces up to life in prison.
The verdict follows a case that has captured national attention and sparked outrage.
FANS CONVINCED DWYANE WADE IS GAY WITH THESE ‘SUSPECT’ IG PHOTOS
Guyger, who is white, testified that after working a 13-1/2-hour shift she parked on the wrong floor of the Dallas apartment complex where she lived on September 6, 2018. She then walked to the apartment directly above hers – which belonged to Jean, who was black—and fired when she encountered Jean.
Prosecutors said Jean was watching television and eating ice cream in his living room when Guyger burst inside, likely scaring him. The trajectory of the bullet showed that he was either getting up from his couch or cowering when Guyger fired her service weapon, they added.
The fatal shooting, which has led to one of the most anticipated murder trials in Dallas in decades, became a flashpoint on issues of police use of force and racial bias. Guyger is white and Jean was black, and the Jean family has questioned whether Guyger would have shot him if he were a different race.
Testifying in her own defense last week, Guyger told jurors that she was scared for her life when she entered an apartment that she thought was hers and the man inside began coming toward her and yelling, “Hey! Hey! Hey!”
We Publish News 24/7. Don’t Miss A Story. Click HERE to SUBSCRIBE to Our Newsletter Now!
