The mother of Atatiana Jefferson, a black woman shot and killed at home by a Texas police officer, has died about two months after Jefferson’s father also suffered a deadly heart attack, according to attorney for the family S. Lee Merritt, who tweeted the news Thursday. “We just learned Yolanda Carr, the mother of #AtatianaJefferson, passed away in her home early Thursday morning,” Merritt said in another Twitter message. “Atatiana was killed by a Fort Worth, TX police officer while serving as the caregiver for Ms. Carr who had recently taken ill. Memorial Service details will follow.” It’s unclear what caused Carr’s death.
Merritt shared a video of her with his Twitter message. The woman was responding to news that former Fort Worth police officer Aaron Dean, who fatally shot her daughter, had been indicted last month. "I'm so glad that they finally indicted that man on murder because he murdered my baby. He murdered my baby in my home. ... She didn't do anything wrong. My thought was ‘thank you Jesus,’” Carr said, sobbing. “Even though I know we have a long way to go, at least we got the charge on him that he murdered my baby, at least we got that.”
Dean was dispatched to the 1200 block of Allen Avenue on Oct. 12, 2019, on an "open structure call" a neighbor made to report that the front doors of the residence were open and both neighbors' vehicles were in the driveway, according to a warrant Daily Kos obtained. When Dean arrived on the scene, he used his flashlight to check vehicles in the driveway and opened a gate to the backyard without announcing his presence, officials said in the warrant. Dean "shined his light" into a back window of the home and seeing someone inside ordered: "'Put your hands up, show me your hands,'" according to the warrant. Still having failed to identify himself, Dean fired at Jefferson once through the window, according to the warrant. Jefferson "yelled out in pain, and fell to the ground," officials said. Less than a month after the woman's death, her father, Marquis Jefferson, died, family spokesman Bruce Carter said "of a broken heart," according to CBS DFW.
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Lauren Floyd
“The family is devastated by Ms. Carr’s untimely death and is requesting for space to process and mourn. Police brutality impacts entire families, communities and generations,” Merritt said in a statement to CBS DFW. “There is no doubt Ms. Carr’s recovery was complicated by the tragedy of her daughter’s death and the difficulty associated with the ongoing fight for justice. “We will continue the fight in her honor.”