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>>> TONI+@GHT INTERRUPTION IN
FORT WORTH AFTER POLICE OFFICER
SHOT AND KILLED A WOMAN IN HER
OWN HOME.
OWN HOME.
OWN HOME. WHAT STARTED AS A CANDLELIGHT
VIGIL QUICKLY TURNED INTO A
PROTEST WITH DEMONSTRATORS
MARCHING THROUGH THE STREETS.
THIS A+@LL STARTED SATURDAY WHE
OFFICERS RESPONDED TO A MAN'S
CALL WORRIED THERE MAY BE
SOMETHING WRONG AT HIS
NEIGHBORS HOME.
NEIGHBORS HOME. BUT ATATIANA JEFFERSON WAS
JUST PLAYING VIDEO GAMES WITH
HER NEPHEW WHEN AN OFFICER
FIRED AT HER.
WE HAVE A LOT TO GET TO BUT
LET'S START START RIGHT OUTSIDE
THE HOME.
THE HOME.
THE HOME. YOU HEARD FROM A PASSIONATE
CROWD AND ALSO POLICE FOR THE
FIRST TIME TODAY.
+@
+@ >>
+@ >> THAT'S RIGHT AND THIS HAS
BEEN EMOTIONAL AND RAW.
THIS CASE IS ALREADY DRAWN
NATIONAL ATTENTION.
NATIONAL ATTENTION. BUT IT HAPPENED LESS THAN 48
HOURS AGO INSIDE THE HOME
BEHIND ME WHERE ATATIANA
JEFFERSON WAS INSIDE WHEN A
FORT WORTH POLICE OFFICER
RESPONDED TO THAT CALL AND SHE
WAS SHOT AND KILLED.
TODAY POLICE TOLD US THAT HER
EIGHT-YEAR-OLD NEPHEW WAS IN
THE ROOM WITH HER WHEN THE GUN
+@
+@ WAS
+@ WAS FIRED., FAMILY RETURNED TO
THIS HOUSE FOR THE FIRST TIME
JUST A SHORT TIME AGO.
>> Reporter: TONIGHT THERE WAS @
GRIEF AND OUTRAGE WITH
ATATIANA JEFFERSON+@ FAMILY
COMING BACK TO THE HOME WHERE
SHE WAS SHOT AND KILLED BY A
FORT WORTH POLICE OFFICER.
THE FAMILIES AT ATTORNEY.
>> SHE WAS THE GLUE THAT HELD
THE FAMILY TOGETHER.
SHE WAS SO IN LOVE WITH
BABYSITTING AND CARING FOR HER
MOTHER AND SHOWING UP IN
COUNSELING HER SISTERS.
THAT WHEN THEY LOST HER THE
LOST BALANCE.
LOST BALANCE. >> THE MEMBERS OF THE FORT
WORTH POLICE DEPARTMENT SURE
YOU'RE VERY REAL AND VALID
CONCERNS.
CONCERNS.
CONCERNS. [ APPLAUSE ] THIS AFTERNOON THE
FORT WORTH POLIC+@E KEEP THEIR
FIRST ON CAMERA STATEMENT
CONFIRMING THEIR OFFICER NEVER
IDENTIFIED HIMSELF AS POLICE
BEFORE HE PULLED THE TRIGGER.>>
I'M NOT USUALLY AT +@HOME AT TH
TIME.
TIME.
TIME. >>
TIME. >> OR USUALLY THE FRONT DOOR IS
NOT OPEN.
NOT OPEN.
NOT OPEN. >> Reporter: PLEASE ALSO
RELEASE THE NONEMERGENCY CALL
THAT BROUGHT THEM TO JEFFERSONS
HOME THAT THE NEIGHBOR WAS
CONCERNED LIGHTS WERE ON WERE +@
BUT THE DOOR WAS OPEN BUT
MAKING NO CLAIM OF DANGER.
PLEASE SAY OFFICERS PARKED AWAY
FROM THE HOME IN THE BODY
CAMERAS FOOTAGE SHOWS THEM
SEARCHING AROUND WITH
FLASHLIGHTS AND GOING IN THE
BACKYARD AND THEN THE MOMENT
THE OFFICER SPOTS JEFFERSONS
FIGURE IN HER OWN WINDOW.
>> YOUR HAND+@S UP.
SLOWING IT DOWN YOU CAN SEE HER
PULL UP THE BLINDS AND THE
OFFICER PULLS THE TRIGGER LESS
THAN TWO SECONDS +@AFTER HIS
VERBAL COMMAND.
VERBAL COMMAND. >> THE OFFICER DID NOT ANNOUNCE
YOU AS A POLICE OFFICER PRIOR
TO SHOOTING.
TO SHOOTING. THE OFFICER OBSERVED BY HE DID
NOT ANNOUNCE POLICE WILL BE
ADDRESSED AS THE INVESTIGATION @
CONTINUES.
CONTINUES. >> POLICE WOULD NOT EXPLAIN WHY
THE OFFICER FELT THREATENED AND
THEY WOULD NOT ANSWER THE
QUESTION WHETHER SHARED A
PIC+@TURE OF A GUN FOUND IN+@
JE+@FFERSONS HOME.
JE+@FFERSONS HOME. >> THEY'RE NOT COMPETENT TO
INVESTIG+@ATE THEMSELVES
INVESTIG+@ATE THEMSELVES CRIMINALLY IN THISCS.>B
THE TIME WE STOP BEING ANGRY
THERE'S ANOTHER OYAND THA
THE POLICEAPUT IN THE
GROUND.
GROUND.
GROUND. >> Reporter: CALLING FOR
ACTION.
ACTION.
ACTION. >> WE ARE WORKING CLOSELY ON
THIS AND IT IS A TRAGIC
SITUATION.
SITUATION. >> Reporter: THE MAYOR BETSY
PRICE CAME TO THE VIGIL TO
LISTEN BUT QUICKLY LEFT
SURROUNDED BY FRUSTRATED CROWD
WITH EMOTIONS HIGH AFTE+@R
ANOTHER LIFE LOST.
SO MANY MORNING IN GRIEVING
ATATI+@ANA JEFFERSON AS SHE WAS
JUST 28 YEARS OLD ON A COLLEGE
GRADUATE WHO IS TAKING CARE OF
FAMILY MEMBERS IN THIS HOUSE. @
Y+@OU HEARD HER ATTORNEY SAY TH
THE FORT WORTH POLICE NOT
QUALIFIED TO INVESTIGATE AND
THE CITY SAYS IT IS THE
DEPARTMENTS PLAN TO DO THEIR
OWN INVESTIGATION INTO THIS
INCID+@ENT.
INCID+@ENT. TOMORROW THE OFFICER INVOLVED
WHO HAS NOT YET BEEN NAMED WILL
SPEAK TO THE MAJOR CASE AN
INTERNAL AFFAIRS UNIT AND WE
ARE ALSO EXPECTING TO HEAR FROM
THE POLICE CHIEF AT A PRESS
CONFERENCE SCHEDULED TOMORROW
WITH A PROMISE TO ANSWER MORE
QUESTIONS.
QUESTIONS. SO MANY IN THIS COMMUNITY WANT
THOSE QUESTIONS ANSWERED AND
NEED THOSE+@ QUESTIONS ANSWERED
WHAT STARTED HERE TONIGHT AS+@
VIGIL AT TIMES+@ TURNED INTO A
PROTEST IN+@ MY COLLEAGUE HAS
MORE ON THAT PART OF +@THE STOR
>>
>> Reporter: THE PROTEST JUST WRAPPED UP WITHIN THE HOUR WITH
ONE THAT HAD STARTED RIGHT HERE
AT THE INTERSECTION OF ALLEN
AND MISSISSIPPI AVENUE AS THEY
TOOK OFF DOWN ALLEN STREET WITH
HUNDREDS OF MARCHERS HEADING IN
THE DIRECTION OF 35 WEST AND I
WANT TO SHOW THE VIDEO RIGHT
NOW.
NOW.
NOW. THIS
NOW. THIS IS VIDEO WHICH IS SHOT
WITHIN THE LAST COUPLE OF HOURS
HERE IN FORT WORTH.
A CROWD THAT IS VERY PASSIONATE
AND THEY SAY THAT THIS WEEK
THAT THEY WILL BE KEEPING THE
HEAT ON THE CITY OF FORT WORTH
AS THIS INVESTIGATION IS
GETTING UNDERWAY AND THEY
PROMISED ME THAT THEY WILL BE
AT THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING ON
TUESDAY AND THEY HAVE PLANS TO
MONITOR AS WELL THAT ARE STILL
BEING DEVELOPED.
BEING DEVELOPED. SPOKE WITH A COUPLE OF PEOPLE +@
INVOLVED JUST A FEW MINUTES
AGO.
AGO.
AGO. >>
AGO. >> IT'S ALMOST LIKE A SWORD.
ONCE IT STARTS TO HEAL THEN
SOMEHOW OR ANOTHER YOU PLAN TOO
MUCH REPEAL THE SCAB OFF AGAIN
AND ONCE AGAIN THE BLEEDING
STARTS.
STARTS.
STARTS. AND IT SEEMS AS IF WE NEVER GET
A CHANCE FOR THAT SORT TO HEAL.
>> WE HAVE LOST OUR LIVES.
WE HAVE PEOPLE.
WHEN WE CANNOT MORE OR LESS
VALUE LIFE.
VALUE LIFE. >> AS YOU ARE LOOKING RIGHT NOW
YOU SEE THE +@FORT WORTH POLICE
OFFICERS STAGED AT 35 WEST AND
THE MARCHERS ACTUALLY MADE
THEIR WAY TO 35 BUT THEY WERE
BLOCKED BY THE FORT WORTH
POLI+@CE DEPARTMENT WILL HAVE A
VERY HEAVY PRESENCE OU+@T HERE
TONIGHT.
TONIGHT.
TONIGHT. +@
TONIGHT. +@LET'S BRING YOU BACK OUT HERE
AT ALLEN AND MISSISSIPPI AVENUE
WHICH IS THE PLACE WHERE
TONIGHT'S PROTEST STARTED.
BUT AS WE HAVE SEEN AND AS WE
HAVE HEARD FROM SO MANY PEOPLE,
THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING OF
SEVE+@RAL EVENTS PLANNED THIS
WEEK.
WEEK.
WEEK. REPORTING LIVE TONIGHT.
>> AND AT THE COMMUNITY CLASHES
WITH FORT WORTH POLICE
DEPARTMENT FORMER LEADERS AND
CURRENT LEADERS NEED TO ACT NOW
WITH JOEL FITZGERALD THAT WAS
FORCED O+@UT OF THE DEPARTMENT
AND NOW HE IS PUSHING FOR +@
IMMEDIATE AND MANDATORY
RECERTIFICATION FOR ALL
OFFICERS IN FORT WORTH IN DE-
ESCALATION.
ESCALATION. PROCEDURAL JUSTICE AND IMPLICIT
+@
+@ BIAS
+@ BIAS TRAINING.
BIAS TRAINING. THE ATTORNEY ALSO DEMANDED HE
BE REINSTATED TO HIS FORMER
PO+@SITI+@ON AS CHIEF AND GOING
FAR AS TO SAY THAT ATATIANA
JEFFERSON WOULD STILL BE ALIVE
TODAY IF FITZGERALD WAS STILL
IN CHARGE.
IN CHARGE. ATATIANA JEFFERSON WAS PREMED
AT XAVIER UNIVERSITY IN
LOUISIANA AND GRADUATED FIVE
YEARS AGO WITH A BACHELORS
DEGREE IN BIOLOGY.
TONIGHT THE PRESIDENT OF XAVIER
UNIVERSITY SAID THAT THERE IS
CLEARLY AN URGENT NEED TO FIX A
+@
CLEARLY AN URGENT NEED TO FIX A LAW ENFORCEMENT SYSTEM IN
PHILOSOPHY THAT IS BROKEN.
THAT IS THE SAME MESSAGE WE
HEARD THIS MORNING FROM THE
PASTOR IN FORT WORTH.>> YOU
CANNOT SIT UP HERE AND ACT LIKE
IT DOES NOT APPLY TO YOU.
BE+@CAUSE ANYBODY COULD BE NEXT
IT'S NOT THAT KIND OF A DEAL.
ANYBODY +@COULD BE NEXT.
ANYBODY.
ANYBODY.
ANYBODY. AND SO, I AM STANDING HERE TO
TELL YOU THAT I AM DONE.
>> PEOPLE HAVE SET UP A GO
FUND ME FOR THE FAMILY OF
ATATIANA JEFFERSON AND IT HAS
ALREADY RAISED MORE THAN
$112,000.
$112,000.
$112,000. IF YOU WANT+@ TO SEE MORE HAD
WFAA.COM WITH THE FULL VIDEO
FROM THE OFFICERS BODY CAMERA
AND THE NEI+@GHBOR'S PHONE CALL
WHEN HE WAS ASKING FOR A