‘YELLED OUT IN PAIN’

Arrest Warrant for Ex-Fort Worth Cop Details Moments Before Atatiana Jefferson’s Death

Aaron Dean was charged with murder Monday night, two days after he fatally shot 28-year-old Atatiana Jefferson inside her home.

Atatiana Jefferson “yelled out in pain” after she was fatally shot in her own home by a Fort Worth police officer who was standing in her backyard, an arrest warrant affidavit shows. Former Fort Worth Officer Aaron Dean, 35, was charged with murder on Monday, two days after he fatally shot the 28-year-old. According to the arrest warrant, Jefferson’s nephew—who was inside the house with Jefferson playing video games before the incident—said his aunt retrieved a gun from her purse after the pair heard a sound outside. The 8-year-old told authorities they believed it was an intruder, and Jefferson pointed the gun at the window.

“It makes sense that she would have a gun if she felt she was being threatened or that there was someone in the backyard,” Police Chief Ed Kraus said during a press conference on Tuesday. The warrant does not indicate Dean was able to see the weapon through the glass. The body-cam footage shows Dean was pointing a flashlight at Jefferson’s window before he fired a single shot after yelling at her to show her hands. Family lawyer Lee Merritt said the window was covered by blinds.