The video went viral, and people on social media lauded him. Many said they had never witnessed something like this before saying it's heartbreaking and hopeful at the same time.
A former US police officer, who shot dead her unarmed black neighbour inside his own apartment in Dallas has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for murder. Emotional scenes unfurled as a jury in Texas sentenced the former Dallas cop Amber Guyger for the murder of Botham Jean, who was shot while he was watching television and eating ice cream in his own apartment in September, 2018. However, as protesters outside chanted slogans to end police violence against people of colour, the victim’s brother offered the convict his forgiveness.
After the sentence was read by the judge, Jean’s younger brother, Brandt, turned to the judge and asked for permission to hug the woman who killed his brother. With his voice cracking on the witness stand, he said, “I don’t even want you to go to jail… I love you as a person. I don’t wish anything bad on you”. He then went on to say, “I don’t know if this is possible, but can I give her a hug, please,” he asked. “Please?”
The judge allowed and said yes, the he was seen hugging and comforting Guyger in the court, turning everyone emotional, including the judge who was seen wiping her tears.
The video went viral, and people on social media lauded him. Many said they had never witnessed something like this before saying it’s heartbreaking and hopeful at the same time.
In a tearful testimony, Guyger, who is white, said she mistook Jean’s apartment for her own when she found his door ajar and opened fire, thinking he was an intruder.
The shooting triggered series of protests and calls for justice in Dallas, a city with a history of racial tensions with the police. “The case drew widespread attention. A white police officer shooting a black man who had been eating ice cream and watching television in his own apartment raised the question of whether there was any place in America where black men could feel safe,” The New York Times had reported.