Dallas police open Internal Affairs investigation after Amber Guyger 911 call obtained, played on TV
The Dallas Police Department is launching an internal investigation after a Dallas television station obtained the 911 call made by an off-duty officer who fatally shot a man in his own apartment.
WFAA-TV aired the entire 911 call Monday night from now-former Ofc. Amber Guyger the night of Sept. 6 when she entered the apartment of Botham Jean and shot him dead. The station didn’t say how they obtained the recording.
Police officials said Tuesday they still have not authorized the official release of the 911 call and were launching an Internal Affairs investigation to determine if someone inside the department leaked the tape.
Numerous media outlets have requested the 911 tape and other documents related to the investigation into the shooting, which ignited a firestorm in Dallas last fall. But police have declined to release the tape, citing the “the Law Enforcement Exception for a pending criminal investigation granted by the Texas Attorney General.”
Guyger claimed she mistakenly entered Jean’s apartment, saying she was tired after lengthy hours and shot Jean thinking he was an intruder in her apartment. She reportedly parked on the fourth floor of her building instead of the third floor, where she lived.
Guyger was fired 18 days after the fatal shooting occurred. She was initially charged in the days after the shooting with manslaughter, which intensified the outrage among some in Dallas. She was eventually indicted in November on a murder charge and her trial is set to start in September, although there could be delays.