Submitted by Caribbean Guyana Institute for Democracy

BROOKLYN: Saint Lucian and Caribbean Clergy and community leaders will on Wednesday, September 19, 2018 lead a memorial service to celebrate the life of Dallas police shooting victim, Botham Shem Jean. The service will take place at 6:30 p.m., at the Advent Fellowship of Brooklyn  Church, 1666 Bergen Street, Brooklyn NY 11213.

The service, which will be punctuated by tributes, praise and worship, will be attended by Jean’s parents, other relatives, friends, elected officials as well as Saint Lucian and Caribbean community leaders. 

Botham Shem Jean, was a 26 year-old Saint Lucian national and Dallas, Texas resident. He was shot and killed by Dallas police officer Amber Guyger on Thursday night, September 6, 2018 in his own apartment. Guyger claimed she took Jean’s apartment for her own, and entered by mistake.  

Dallas police consequently issued a warrant for Guyger for manslaughter and subsequently handed the investigation over to the Texas State police, Texas Rangers. Guyger was charged with manslaughter after turning herself in. The Texas Rangers were widely condemned for giving Guyger preferential treatment; including granting the officer the privilege of turning herself in at a jail in a county outside Dallas, where she was booked and released on $300,000.00 self-bail.

The New York based Caribbean Guyana Institute for Democracy (CGID), had written Dallas District Attorney, Faith Johnson, demanding that Guyger be charged with murder based on the facts and circumstances outlined in an affidavit filed in court. Dallas community leaders as well as civil rights leaders nationwide have also called for Guyger to be charged with murder. They also condemned her preferential treatment and questioned why she was not arrested at the scene. District Attorney Johnson has said her office is continuing the investigation. She has not ruled out additional charges.  Jean was funeralized in Dallas, Texas, last Thursday.

Jean came to the US from Saint Lucia in 2011 to study accounting and management information systems at Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas. After graduating from college and completing a brief internship, he accepted a permanent job in the Dallas office of Auditing Firm, Price Waterhouse Coopers in 2015. At the time of his death, he was a risk assurance associate for Price Waterhouse Coopers. 

Jean graduated as the top student of his high school, earning the Spirit of Saint Lucia Academic Award. He also attended the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College, in Castries, Saint Lucia before migrating to the U.S.  Jean was also an active member in the Church of Christ where he taught Sunday school and was an accomplished singer. 

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