Atatiana Jefferson, the woman making national news after being murdered by a Fort Worth police officer, graduated from Lake Highlands High School in 2010.
“Can confirm that Atatiana Jefferson was enrolled in RISD at Lake Highlands High School for the 2009-10 school year and graduated from LHHS on 6/13/2010,” Tim Clark, RISD’s executive director of communications, said in an e-mail.
Jefferson was fatally shot through a window in her family’s home in Fort Worth on Saturday, Oct. 12. She was reportedly playing video games with her nephew.
Fort Worth police officer Aaron Dean showed up to Jefferson’s home after a neighbor called for a welfare check. He shot Jefferson through the window after shouting “Put your hands up, show me your hands,” before the fatal gunshot. Everything was recorded by the officer’s body cam.
Dean resigned today and could face criminal charges.
Update: Dean was arrested and charged with murder on Monday, Oct. 15. Dean’s bond was set at $200,000 and jail records showed he bonded out after 9 p.m. Monday, according to NBC.The family of Atatiana Jefferson have retained an attorney and are asking for an independent review of the investigation into her death.
Jefferson was a college graduate, a pharmaceutical equipment sales representative and a loving daughter who had moved back home to help care for her ailing mother, family members told USA Today.
Only weeks after the Amber Guyger trial, Jefferson’s father Marquis Jefferson said he won’t be looking for a hug anytime soon.
“Unlike Botham Jean, I don’t want no hug. That’s my one and only daughter,” Marquis told USA Today. “I’ll never forget that.”
A vigil was held Sunday, Oct. 13 and protestors gathered at the house Jefferson was shot at. They held signs saying “Say her name” and “Enough is enough.”