A white police officer who fatally shot a black woman in her own bedroom in Texas has been arrested on murder charges.
The arrest follows the officer's abrupt resignation on Monday (local time) before his impending dismissal due to violating several department policies.
The officer, identified by the Fort Worth Police Department as Aaron Dean, is currently being held without bond in Tarrant County Jail, ABC News reports.
On Friday night (local time), a neighbour noticed the front door of Atatiana Jefferson's property was open and called a non-emergency police line to request a welfare check on the 28-year-old.
At around 2:25am, two officers arrived at the scene and walked into the backyard. One officer saw Jefferson through a bedroom window, drew his gun and shouted, "put your hands up, show me your hands" without identifying himself as police.
He then fired his weapon, fatally shooting Jefferson, who had been babysitting her eight-year-old nephew. Body camera footage reveals the exchange took less than four seconds.
Jefferson died from her injuries at the scene. A police spokesperson told media Jefferson's nephew was in the room when she was shot.
"I certainly have not been able to make sense of why she had to lose her life," Fort Worth Police Chief Ed Kraus said at a news conference before Dean's arrest.
Kraus stated he was planning on firing Dean for his violation of "force policy, de-escalation policy" and "unprofessional conduct", but the former officer tendered his resignation before their scheduled meeting.
Despite welcoming the public apology on behalf of the Fort Worth Police Department, Jefferson's sister, Ashley Carr, said apologies were "not the end result we're looking for".
"I want justice for my sister," she told ABC News.
Civil rights lawyer Lee Merritt, who represents Jefferson's family, described Dean's opportunity to resign as "a slap in the family's face".
"He should have never been given that option... I want us to stop treating this... like... 'a bad apple spoils the bunch'... the barrel is rotten from the core.
"It was 0.6 seconds between the command and the shot. There was no time for them to perceive a threat from the weapon. There was no time for her to respond. It was reckless, deadly behaviour."
According to police chief Kraus, an international investigation and a criminal investigation will proceed. The shooting will be reviewed by the FBI to determine if Dean's actions violate civil rights.
The police department has since been criticised for releasing a photo of a handgun found in Jefferson's home, with Merritt calling it an attempt to "cast aspersions on [Jefferson], to give this officer [Dean] an out".
He told the outlet he perceived the photo as the department attempting "to justify the unjustifiable".
Jefferson's family claim she had a permit to carry a concealed weapon.
Ashley Carr has described her sister as a pre-med graduate who gave up her career to care for her ailing mother. Jefferson was also reportedly helping their sister, Amber, raise her two children as she recovered from heart surgery. One of these children, Zion, 8, witnessed his aunt's death.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People [NAACP] has since tweeted about Jefferson's death.
UNACCEPTABLE! The acts of yet another “trained” police officer have resulted in the death of #AtatianaJefferson. Gun downed in her own home. If we are not safe to call the police, if we are not safe in our homes, where can we find peace? We demand answers. We demand justice. pic.twitter.com/UZqHQzPyaW
— NAACP (@NAACP) October 13, 2019
