Cop Who Killed Texas Woman Wasn't Doing Welfare Check

And Atatiana Jefferson's funeral has been delayed amid a family conflict
By Neal Colgrass,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 19, 2019 11:00 AM CDT
Cop Who Killed Texas Woman Wasn't Doing Welfare Check
This undated file photo provided by the Tarrant County Jail shows Aaron Dean.   (Tarrant County Jail via AP, File)

Seems the police officer who killed Atatiana Jefferson wasn't told to do a welfare check, CNN reports. Authorities say a neighbor's worried phone call was relayed to dispatch as an "open-structure call"—meaning it could have been an abandoned house, door left open, or even a burglary. "The information came from the neighbor to the call-takers and while it was relayed to the dispatch, it was determined to be an open structure call," said Fort Worth interim Police Chief Ed Kraus earlier this week. Fort Worth police officer Aaron Dean, who fatally shot Jefferson through her window Oct. 12, has resigned and been charged with murder.

Neighbor James Smith, who made the call to a non-emergency police number, told the Star-Telegram he was concerned because the doors of Jefferson's house were open. "I'm shaken," he said. "I'm mad. I'm upset. And I feel it's partly my fault. If I had never dialed the police department, she'd still be alive." Meanwhile, CNN reports that Jefferson's funeral, scheduled for Saturday, was held up after her father got a temporary restraining order. A family spokesman says the father, Marquis Jefferson, wanted in on planning the funeral and will still invite his daughter's siblings and mother. Sacramento Kings forward Harrison Barnes, his wife Brittany, and Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Malik Jackson are paying for the funeral. (More police shooting stories.)

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