Dallas officer who fatally shot neighbor in his own apartment has been fired

DALLAS, Texas -- A Dallas police officer accused of fatally shooting her neighbor inside his own apartment has been dismissed, the police department announced Monday.

The Dallas Police Department fired Officer Amber Guyger on Monday, weeks after she fatally shot 26-year-old Botham Jean inside his own apartment on Sept. 6.

Court records show Guyger said she thought she had encountered a burglar inside her own home.

Guyger was arrested on a preliminary charge of manslaughter days after the shooting. She is out on bond.

Jean family attorneys and protesters have called for her firing following the shooting.

Guyger was a four-year veteran of the police force. She told investigators that she had just ended a shift when she returned in uniform to the South Side Flats apartment complex.

When she put her key in the apartment door, which was unlocked and slightly ajar, it opened, the affidavit said. Inside, the lights were off, and she saw a figure in the darkness that cast a large silhouette across the room, according to the officer's account.

She called 911. When asked where she was, she returned to the front door to see she was in the wrong unit, according to the affidavit. The 911 tapes have not been released.

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Protesters gathered at police headquarters in Dallas to speak out against the shooting death of a man by a officer who says she mistook his apartment for hers.

The attorney for Guyger released a statement about his client's termination:

What happened on September 6th was a tragic mistake and words can never express our sorrow for the pain being suffered by those who knew and loved Botham Jean. Amber Guyger is completely devastated by what happened. Unfortunately, today Chief Hall bowed to pressure from anti-police groups and took action before all of the facts had been gathered and due process was afforded. That's not the way our system of justice should work. It is important for all parties and the integrity of the justice system that a full and fair investigation be allowed to reach its conclusion before decisions such as this are made.