North Texas Woman Shot and Killed by Police in Her Own Home
28-year-old Atatiana Koquice Jefferson was shot and killed Saturday morning by a police officer doing a wellness check at her Fort Worth home.
The Fort Worth police department received a call to their non-emergency line Saturday morning just after 2 a.m. from one of Jefferson's neighbors reporting that her front door was open and lights inside were on. When officers arrived, they did a perimeter check when one of the officers saw someone in the window. Edited body came footage released by the department shows the unnamed officer shout, "Put your hands up! Show me your hands!" (but did not identify himself as a police officer) and fire a single shot into the window, all within four seconds.
According to police, the officer perceived a threat and responded. Body cam footage showed officers finding a firearm in the house, but police spokesman Lt. Brandon O'Neil declined to comment when asked if Jefferson was holding the weapon at the time she was shot. After the shooting, officers entered the home and delivered aid to Jefferson, but she was pronounced dead at the scene. Jefferson had been playing video games with her nephew just before the shooting.
The officer who shot Jefferson has only been on the force since April 2018. He has been placed on leave and is scheduled to be interviewed by the department on Monday. According to CNN, Jefferson's family has been contacted by the Fort Worth police about the shooting, but their lawyer stated they would rather the investigation be done by independent investigators rather than the department investigating themselves.