Atatiana Jefferson funeral rescheduled after father's concerns are addressed

Jorge L. Ortiz, USA TODAY

A family dispute that delayed the services for a woman killed at her home by a police officer in Fort Worth, Texas, has been resolved with a rescheduled funeral.

The service for Atatiana Jefferson is planned for 11 a.m. Thursday at Concord Church in Dallas. That’s after a settlement was reached Monday between members of Jefferson’s family.

Atatiana Jefferson’s remembrance was scheduled for Saturday in Dallas but was postponed after a judge on Friday issued a temporary restraining order requested by her father, Marquis Jefferson, who wanted a bigger say in the funeral arrangements. He has been at odds over the services with Bonita Body, Atatiana’s aunt.

S. Lee Merritt, a lawyer who represents some of the family members, tweeted Monday afternoon that the service would take place Thursday morning at Concord Church in Dallas.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that after Probate Court Judge Brenda Hull Thompson issued a gag order, all sides negotiated for seven hours before reaching an agreement.

Jefferson, 28, was killed in the early morning of Oct. 12 when a Fort Worth police officer shot her through the window of her house, where she was playing video games with her 8-year-old nephew. The officer, Aaron Dean, was responding to a call from a neighbor who grew concerned after seeing Jefferson’s front door open at such a late hour.

Dean, a policeman since April 2018, resigned from the force and was charged with murder. He’s out on $200,000 bail.

Marquis Jefferson, Atatiana Jefferson’s father, and his wife, Noella, meet with reporters at a church in Dallas.
Marquis Jefferson, Atatiana Jefferson’s father, and his wife, Noella, meet with reporters at a church in Dallas.

Body camera video showed Dean did not identify himself as a police officer and fired his gun a split second after spotting Jefferson inside the house and yelling for her to show her hands. Interim Police Chief Ed Kraus said there was “absolutely no excuse’’ for the shooting.

Fort Worth police released information indicating Jefferson’s nephew said her aunt pointed a gun at the window after hearing noises outside, but there was no sign that Dean saw the weapon.

The killing of Jefferson came 11 days after the guilty verdict in the trial of Amber Guyger – the Dallas police officer convicted of murdering neighbor Botham Jean after mistaking him for an intruder – and it has brought further scrutiny on law enforcement’s treatment of black people.

Dean is white and Jefferson was black.

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Atatiana Jefferson funeral rescheduled after court hearing