Aaron Dean, the former Fort Worth, Texas officer who shot 28-year-old Atatiana Jefferson in her own home was bonded out of jail by the police union.
A union official posted 10% of Dean’s $200,000 bond on Monday night, less than four hours after he was handcuffed and charged with murder.
Dean, 34, resigned from the force on Monday morning before he could be fired. His resignation is officially listed as a dishonorable discharge.
Dean and another cop responded to a non-emergency call from a neighbor around 2:30 a.m. on Saturday to conduct a welfare check at Jefferson’s home because her front door was left open.
The Fort Worth Police Department said the two officers saw someone near a window inside the home and one of the cops drew his weapon and fired because he perceived a threat.
But body cam video shows Dean already had his gun drawn when he approached Jefferson’s bedroom window shouting, “Put your hands up! Show me your hands!”.
Dean did not give Jefferson enough time to respond to his demands to show her hands.
“Nobody looked at this video and said that there’s any doubt that this officer acted inappropriately,” said Interim Police Chief Ed Kraus during a press conference to announce Dean’s resignation on Monday.
Kraus said, even if Jefferson had a gun in her hand, the mere fact she had a gun shouldn’t be considered unusual in Texas.
Texas has had a “castle doctrine” law on the books since 2007 that gives homeowners the right to protect their home with deadly force.
Kraus said he submitted the case to the FBI for a federal investigation. Dean was arrested hours later and charged with murder.
Jefferson was caring for her 8-year-old nephew in her mother’s home the night she was killed. Her mother is hospitalized and was not at home at the time of the shooting.
Jefferson worked in pharmaceutical equipment sales and was considering going to medical school, according to the family’s lawyer, S. Lee Merritt.
