People accuse police of trying to smear shooting victim

Police in Dallas have been accused of engaging in a smear campaign after it was revealed that marijuana was found in the home of a victim who was shot dead by an off duty police officer.

Botham Shem Jean was killed by officer Amber Guyger, who says she mistook his apartment for her own, and thought he was an intruder.

Lawyers for the 26-year-old victim say the police are trying to ‘criminalise the victim’ after it came to light that a search had been conducted at his apartment after he died.

A small amount of marijuana, along with a laptop and a lunch box, were found in his home.

Lawyer Lee Merritt said:

They [the police] immediately began looking to smear him.

Guyger has been charged with manslaughter and has been released on bail.

People are furious with Fox News for a tweet that ran with the marijuana line, demanding to know what finding drugs in his apartment had anything to do with the fact that he was killed.

The non-profit legal and advocacy organisation ACLU were one of the first to call out the coverage:

‘This is an attack on an innocent man who was killed by a cop for simply existing in his own home. PERIOD,’ they wrote.

Botham Jean should be alive and Black. Lives. Matter.

Others are pointing out that Jean is the victim

Friends and family attended Jean’s funeral, which was held at a church in a district of Dallas.

H/T CBS

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