Dallas Police Officer Tries To Enter Wrong Apartment, Fatally Shoots Resident

[DragonFire]

Standards across the nation have dropped. Larger departments used to require a college degree but that is no longer the case. Other departments required a spot-free criminal history. Now, some allow some misdemeanors in the past.

 

But don't take my word for it

 

Dallas City Council Plans Vote to Relax Police Hiring Standards to Bring On More Officers - NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

 

It really doesn’t surprise me. But primarily because I view this as one of those jobs where it takes a special kind of person to want to do it, and do it well. Especially now, it is a mostly thankless and extremely high pressure job, and only getting more so. I know I couldn’t do it for the mental side alone (and would be laughably poor on physical).

[Randy Parker]

Ten years is ridiculous. She'll serve no more than seven years, probably. For killing a man who was eating ice cream in his own apartment.

[Randy Parker]

I saw a picture of the victim's brother asking if he could hug the defendant. Said he was acting as his brother would.

 

Powerful.

[sportsfan41]

Just watched the news footage of Jean's 18 year old brother hugging Guyger in court, WOW, what an emotional day for that family. No matter what the outcome, folks were going to be upset. I'm just glad that this wasn't a drawn out court proceeding. Hopefully the community can move forward and heal.

 

On a side note, I thought it was interesting that the apartment complex has made several changes to it's facility following this case. Apparently there were several times on the 3rd and 4th floor that tenants admitted they had gone to the wrong floor from the parking garage and went to what they thought was their apartment but it turned out they were on the wrong floor. I don't remember the exact number but I thought they'd said somewhere around 40-50 people had reported having done this.

[Hatz]

I saw a picture of the victim's brother asking if he could hug the defendant. Said he was acting as his brother would.

 

Powerful.

 

And offered his forgiveness to her. Powerful.

[Randy Parker]

And offered his forgiveness to her. Powerful.

 

I would like to think I could do the same, but I'm not confident in myself.

 

We could all learn from him, that's for sure. So inspiring and challenging.

[Jumper_Dad]

I think the brother saying he wished she didn't go to prison really helped her sentence.

[The Scribe]

That's absolutely crazy. If you take away the whole police officer thing, and change the scenario to "person with concealed carry gets confused and walks into the wrong apartment, shoots and kills the apartment owner while they're sitting on their own couch watching TV", I struggle to see a jury only giving that person 10 years.

 

Then again, Larry Mahoney was only given 16 years for killing 27 people in the Carrollton bus crash. Only ended up serving 10 years. I can't even begin to comprehend that one.

 

The courts got the conviction right here, but man oh man did they ever get the sentence wrong.

 

She did not enter the apartment with the intent to kill him. You made the perfect comparison with Larry Mahoney. As tragic as it was, he didn't intend to drive his pickup truck into a church bus. If she had hit him while she was drunk and driving, 10 years would have been somewhat appropriate.

 

Now, can the feds go after her for a civil rights violation? Maybe.

 

But her lack of intent to kill when she entered the apartment factored in the sentence whether people like it or not.

[TheDeuce]

She did not enter the apartment with the intent to kill him. You made the perfect comparison with Larry Mahoney. As tragic as it was, he didn't intend to drive his pickup truck into a church bus. If she had hit him while she was drunk and driving, 10 years would have been somewhat appropriate.

 

Now, can the feds go after her for a civil rights violation? Maybe.

 

But her lack of intent to kill when she entered the apartment factored in the sentence whether people like it or not.

 

Her being a cop factored into her sentence more than anything else.

[The Scribe]

Maybe. Or maybe the victim's family's compassion did. There is some sympathy for police officers in the Dallas area given what happened in 2016.

Edited October 3, 2019 by bugatti

[Bert]

20-30 years with a possibility of parole sounds right.

 

To get that long of a prison sentence, doesn't the murder generally have to be premeditated murder? I don't think what little I have read would indicate this was premeditated, more spur of the moment and most studies show those who murder in such a way generally live rather crime free lives after their sentence is up, hence the short sentences generally given in KY for 2nd degree murder.

[John Anthony]

To get that long of a prison sentence, doesn't the murder generally have to be premeditated murder? I don't think what little I have read would indicate this was premeditated, more spur of the moment and most studies show those who murder in such a way generally live rather crime free lives after their sentence is up, hence the short sentences generally given in KY for 2nd degree murder.

 

I’m not sure. I think the judge went easier on her due to the family’s request. The victims family is the only voice that really matters here.

[Oldercoach]

I’m not sure. I think the judge went easier on her due to the family’s request. The victims family is the only voice that really matters here.

 

I find this accident to be extremely unfortunate. The brother's response was the one bright moment in the entire legal procedure. The grandstanding by the prosecuter in asking for 28 years was so politically motivated. The role race was so dominant throughout serves no healing in any fashion. The fact she was a cop blatantly portrayed her incorrectly as just a "cop killing another innocent victim". The fact is she thought she had entered her own apartment, was startled to find an intruder, was frightened and her trained survival instincts kicked in. Hate it, hate it, hate it. But, I believe the brother more clearly and forgivingly recognized this horrible accident for what it was. He's walking a better path than most of us.

[sportsfan41]

Her being a cop factored into her sentence more than anything else.

 

She's not a cop.

[TheDeuce]

The fact is she thought she had entered her own apartment, was startled to find an intruder, was frightened and her trained survival instincts kicked in.

 

This is a terrible, terrible take and one that has been rampant with this case.

 

The only thing about this that was an accident was her initially walking into the wrong apartment. Everything else she did on purpose, with a purpose.