Atatiana Jefferson: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

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Atatiana Jefferson was shot and killed by a Fort Worth police offer around 2 a.m. on October 12, 2019. She was inside her home and was shot through her bedroom window, according to body cam footage and the medical examiner’s report. The shooting happened just weeks after a Dallas police officer, Amber Guyger, was found guilty of murder after accidentally shooting Botham Jean when she mistook his apartment for her own. Guyger was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Days after her sentencing, a witness in her trial, Joshua Brown, was shot to death in what police said was a drug deal gone bad. The name of the Fort Worth officer who shot Jefferson has not been released. Here is what you need to know.

1. The Police Officer Was in Atatiana Jefferson’s Backyard & Shot Her Through Her Bedroom Window

FacebookAtatiana Jefferson

The police officer, whose name has not been released, was in Atatiana Jefferson’s backyard around 2:25 a.m. on October 12 and shot her through her window, killing her, WFAA reported. Jefferson’s name was released by officials and local media.

The officer responded to a call that a door was open at the home in the 1200 block of East Allen Avenue in Fort Worth, Texas. A map with the approximate location of the shooting is below.

After the shooting, officers provided emergency medical care, but Jeffesron died on the scene.

4. Atatiana Jefferson Was Playing Video Games With Her Nephew

FacebookAtatiana Jefferson

Attorney Lee Merritt, who represented Botham Jean’s family and who investigated the death of Joshua Brown, a witness in Amber Guyger’s trial, shared the officer’s bodycam footage on Twitter. He said on Twitter that Atatiana Jefferson, known by friends as “Tay,” was playing video games with her eight-year-old nephew in her home when she was shot. She thought she heard a noise in her backyard and was shot when she went to investigate, he said.

The Fort Worth police released the following press release about the shooting:

Fort Worth Police✔@fortworthpd

#PressRelease -

Officer Involved Shooting – Oct. 12, 2019

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1:20 PM – Oct 12, 2019

 

109 people are talking about this

In their statement, the Fort Worth Police said, in part: “The individual, a black female, who resides at the residence succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced deceased on the scene. The officer, a white male who has been with the department since April of 2018, has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome [of] the critical police incident investigation.”

5. She Studied Biology & Chemistry in College

FacebookAtatiana Jefferson

According to her Facebook page (which was last updated publicly in 2018), Atatiana Jefferson worked at Xavier University of Louisiana, where she also studied biology and majored in chemistry with a minor in pre-med.

She was a dedicated student. This 2015 video shared by Jefferson on YouTube shows her doing an AP lab exercise.

In 2014, she shared a petition on her page and wrote: “When you do the crime you do the time. Crimes cannot go unpunished no matter what they are. It makes a mockery of the U.S justice system if people feel comfortable enough to commit crimes. Whether this was his normal behavior or not, he should still be dealt with like any other person in that situation. If I speed I will get a ticket. I may not normally speed but that doesn’t change the fact that I have a ticket. Unless this man has a mental illness or a massive brain tumor that impaired his judgement he needs to be properly dealt with.”

This 2012 video from her YouTube page shows her working on a Spanish project for class.

Pastors and activists in the community are seeking answers, wanting to know why she was shot and killed.

Cleo Greene✔@cgreeneWFAA

Happening Now: Community pastors and activists want to know why a woman was shot and killed in her own home overnight. They’re demanding transparency from @fortworthpd Location: Exciting Greater Saint Stephen First Church @wfaa

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1:55 PM – Oct 12, 2019

See Cleo Greene’s other Tweets

The officer is on administrative leave during the investigation. He joined the Fort Worth Police Department in April 2018, NBC DFW reported. The Tarrant County District Attorney’s Law Enforcement Incident Team is investigating.

READ NEXT: Joshua Brown’s Shooting: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know