Cop enters wrong apartment after shift, mistaking it for her own — and fatally shoots tenant inside

A Dallas police officer reportedly fatally shot a man after she accidentally entered his apartment, thinking it was her own.

What are the details?

According to a news release, the unnamed female officer called dispatch to report that she had been involved in a shooting at her apartment complex on Thursday.

The release said that the unnamed officer returned to her complex in full uniform after working a full shift. The officer reportedly told responding officers that she’d accidentally entered the victim’s apartment, thinking it was hers.

Authorities did not state how they believe the confusion of apartments occurred, nor what went on when the officer encountered the apartment’s rightful tenant.

“At some point, the officer fired her weapon, striking the victim,” the release continued. “Responding officers administered aid to the victim, a 26-year-old-male, at the scene.”

Despite treatment, the victim — later identified as Botham Shem Jean — was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

The female officer was not injured, and the Dallas Police Department placed the officer on administrative leave pending a joint investigation between the department at the district attorney’s office.

What did the police say?

During a Friday news conference, Sgt. Warren Mitchell of the Dallas Police Department refused to answer whether the female officer believed Jean was actually an intruder in her apartment.

Mitchell said that the department hadn’t even interviewed the female officer at the time of the conference.

Who was the victim?

According to The Dallas Morning News, Jean was a native of Saint Lucia, and a graduate of Harding University in Arkansas, where he was a former morning worship leader during morning chapel services.

Tracy Moore, a preacher who knew Jean from a Church of Christ Caribbean lecture series, told the Christian Chronicle that Jean was “a powerful singer” who “always [had] a spirit of joy that flowed from him.”

Fellow Harding student Romas Roberson told the outlet, “[Jean] was a great guy who loved to smile, very positive leader for the young men that we had here. Everyone loved his voice!”

Jana Rucker, a spokesperson for Harding University, said, “We’re all deeply grieved. He was just one of those people who really stood out, with his voice and his leadership.”

The investigation is ongoing.