Botham Jean Settlement: Nearly $100 million awarded to the family of a man fatally shot by FMR. Dallas Police Officer Amber Guyger

DALLAS– The family of a man shot and killed by a Dallas police officer who said she mistook his apartment for her own was awarded nearly $100 million Wednesday in a federal civil lawsuit.

The jury ruled after a three-day trial that ex-cop Amber Guyger used excessive force in the 2018 death of Botham Jean and violated his constitutional rights. Jurors returned a $98.65 million verdict against her.

“This verdict is a powerful testament to Botham’s life and the profound injustice of his death,” said a statement from Jean’s family’s legal team. “This case has exposed critical issues of racial bias and police accountability that cannot be ignored. “Today’s verdict sends a clear message that law enforcement officers who commit crimes cannot be insulated from the consequences of their actions.”

Guyger said at the time that after a long day at work, she walked up to Jean’s apartment — which was on the fourth floor, directly above hers on the third — and found the door unlocked. She said she thought the apartment was hers when she pulled her gun and went inside.

Jean, an accountant from the Caribbean island of St. Lucia, had been eating a bowl of ice cream when Guyger entered his apartment and shot him.

Guyger was later fired from the Dallas Police Department, found guilty of murder and sentenced to 10 years in prison. Earlier this fall, she was denied parole, media reported.

The shooting attracted widespread attention because of the circumstances surrounding it and because it was one of several shootings of black men by white police officers.

During closing arguments, attorneys for Jean’s family asked the jury to send a message that Dallas County residents “will be safe in our homes,” The Dallas Morning News reported.

Guyger waived her right to participate in the trial, according to court records, which the family said showed she was not accountable for her actions.