Dallas police officer jailed for 10 years for shooting unarmed neighbor in his flat after mistaking his flat for her own - Sky News, Sky.com

A police officer has been jailed for 10 years for shooting dead her unarmed neighbor in his home after she accidentally walked into his home.

Amber Guyger was sentenced after being found guilty of murdering her upstairs neighbor Botham Jean, 26, in September 2018.

The Dallas Police officer’s sentence was met with jeers by a crowd gathered outside the courtroom, with one woman saying: “It’s a slap in the face.”

A murder sentence in Texas ranges from five years to life in prison, but the jury decided on 10 years after the judge instructed them on a so-called sudden passion defense, which carries a range of two to 20 years behind bars.

Botham Jean's mother wore a pin with his image on throughout the trial — Image: Botham Jean’s mother wore a pin with his image on throughout the trial

Mr Jean’s brother, Brandt Jean, hugged the officer after the sentence, telling her he thinks his brother would want Guyger to give her life to Christ.

“I love you as a person. I don’t wish anything bad on you,” he said as she sobbed.

Guyger was still dressed in her police uniform after a shift when she entered Mr Jean’s fourth-floor apartment and shot him as he ate a bowl of ice cream.

She said she went to the wrong floor and mistook the St Lucian accountant’s apartment for hers, which was directly below.

Botham Jean's family hugged and whooped after Amber Guyger was convicted of murder - but her 10 year sentence drew jeers — Image: Botham Jean’s family hugged and whooped after Amber Guyger was convicted of murder – but her 10 year sentence drew jeers

In the 911 call, played repeatedly during her trial, she said nearly 20 times: “I thought it was my apartment. “

She was fired from the force and charged with murder.

Her lawyers argued the identical appearance of the building from floor to floor meant tenants often went into the wrong apartments.

However, prosecutors questioned how Guyger could have missed numerous signs she was in the wrong flat, and asked why she did not call for backup instead of walking in if she thought she was being burgled.

They suggested she was distracted by “sexts” – sex texts – on her phone from her police partner, who was also her lover.

The shooting drew widespread attention due to the unusual circumstances and because it was seen as one of multiple cases of an unarmed black man shot by a white police officer in the United States.