A Fort Worth police officer checking out a residence with an open door opened fire on a woman inside her home, killing her, authorities said.

The shooting early Saturday occurred less than two weeks after a police officer in nearby Dallas was found guilty of murder for fatally shooting a man in his home in 2018. In both cases the officers are white and the victims were African American.

In the Fort Worth shooting at 2:25 a.m. Saturday, authorities have the officer's body-camera footage.

According to NBC Dallas-Fort Worth, the imagery shows the perspective of the officer outside a home, peering inside a window using a flashlight, spotting someone inside standing near a window and telling her, "Put your hands up — show me your hands," before opening fire.

Fort Worth police say one shot was fired.

Officers entered the home and began providing emergency medical care to the woman but she was pronounced dead, police said.

The Tarrant County medical examiner identified her as Atatiana Koquice Jefferson, 28, according to NBC Dallas-Fort Worth.

A gun was found inside the home, police said, but it wasn't clear if the woman was near it at the time of the shooting.

Neighbor James Smith said he called a police non-emergency number when he noticed the open door.

"If you don't feel safe with the police department, then who do you feel safe with?" he said.

Amber Carr, Jefferson's sister, questioned the officer's training. "I just don't understand," she said.

The officer, who has been with the department since April 2018, was placed on administrative leave while the shooting is under investigation. The department's major case and internal affairs units and the Tarrant County district attorney's law-enforcement incident team will conduct the investigation.

Police said evidence would be forwarded to the district attorney "to determine the final outcome."

The body-camera footage, with the exception of imagery of the interior of the home, would be released, police said.

The September 2018 killing of Botham Jean in Dallas sparked national headlines. The then-officer accused of murdering her neighbor said she had mistakenly entered the wrong apartment after a long shift on patrol when she believed someone was in her home and opened fire.

Amber Guyger was sentenced to 10 years behind bars.

Source: nbcnews.com

Date Posted: Sunday, October 13th, 2019 , Total Page Views: 1101