The family of Atatiana Jefferson has filed a lawsuit against the former officer that killed her. As previously reported, back in October 2019, Jefferson was babysitting her 8-year-old nephew while at her mom's Fort Worth, Texas home when a neighbor called a non-emergency police line to report that door was open. Aaron Dean responded to the call and opened fire from outside through a window after “perceiving a threat.” Dean resigned from the police force after he was officially charged with Jefferson's murder. Last month, a judge set his murder trial for August 2021.
According to USA Today, Jefferson's father Jerome Eschor, her aunt Venitta Body and another relative Arita Eschor recently filed the suit against Dean in federal court earlier this month. The lawsuit alleges that Dean violated Jefferson’s constitutionally-protected civil rights as well as accuses him of both assault and battery.
Meanwhile, the lawsuit also states that the City of Forth Worth along with the Fort Worth Police Department are liable for Atatiana Jefferson’s death because they knew or should have known that Dean “exhibited a pattern of escalating encounters with the public.” The police department is also acknowledged in the lawsuit for its failure to properly train and supervise its officers or discipline Dean.