Atatiana Jefferson: Ex-US officer sentenced for killing woman in bedroom

A former US police officer has been sentenced to nearly 12 years in prison after he was convicted of manslaughter for shooting a woman in her bedroom.

Aaron Dean, 38, was sentenced on Tuesday after a jury deliberated for seven hours.

The jury found Dean guilty on 15 December of fatally shooting 28-year-old Atatiana Jefferson in her home in Fort Worth, Texas in 2019.

Ms Jefferson was black. Dean, who is white, pleaded not guilty to murder.

Prosecutors had asked the jury to sentence Dean to the maximum 20 years in prison for his manslaughter conviction, adding that anything less was a "travesty of justice".

"This verdict and sentence won't bring Atatiana Jefferson back," prosecuting lawyer Sharen Wilson said on Tuesday, adding the two-week trial was difficult for all involved.

"This trial wasn't about politics and it wasn't about race," Ms Wilson said. "If someone breaks the law, they have to be held accountable."

Ms Jefferson had been playing video games with her eight-year-old nephew before she went to investigate a noise outside her window, carrying a handgun that she owned. It was around 02:30 local time on 12 October 2019.

Ms Jefferson and her nephew had burned some hamburgers while cooking and opened the doors to ventilate the home. Seeing the doors open late at night, a concerned neighbour called police.

Body cam footage released by Fort Worth Police Department shows Dean shouted at Ms Jefferson to put her hands up before immediately firing through the glass.

Aaron Dean (left) was found guilty of manslaughter over the fatal shooting of Atatiana Jefferson (right)

A point of contention during the trial was whether Dean saw the gun in Ms Jefferson's hand before pulling the trigger.

Prosecutors argued there was no evidence of this, but Dean's lawyers said he fired in self-defence.

Dean, who resigned from the police before his arrest, showed no emotion both as his verdict and sentence was read, according reporters in court.

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Ms Jefferson's death took place about seven months before the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, who knelt on his neck area for over eight minutes.

Mr Floyd's death led to global demonstrations against racism and police brutality.

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