Dallas mayor on man shot by officer in his apartment: ‘We’ve lost a potential leader for this city’

Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings (D) said Saturday that Dallas “lost a potential leader for this city for decades to come” with the death of Botham Jean, a black man who was fatally shot by a police officer in his apartment this week.

“Botham Jean was exactly the sort of citizen we want to have in the city of Dallas,” Rawlings told reporters during a press conference, ABC News reported. “And for that reason this is a terrible thing that has happened. Not only has he lost his life, but we’ve lost a potential leader for this city for decades to come.” 

{mosads}Jean, 26, was fatally shot by a police officer, who is white, on Thursday in his apartment. The officer said she entered Jean’s apartment by mistake and mistook him for an intruder.

Chief Renee Hall of the Dallas Police Department said Friday that the department would seek a warrant for manslaughter to arrest the officer. Hall told local station WFAA-TV on Saturday that the officer would be charged soon. 

Dallas police were in the process of issuing an arrest warrant as of Friday afternoon, but Hall said the Texas Rangers interviewed the officer and wanted to further investigate.

The Dallas West Church of Christ, where Jean was reportedly a devout member and where he taught a weekly young adult Bible study, also expressed condolences for his death.

“In complete tears,” the church said in a Facebook post Friday morning, alongside a Bible verse.

PricewaterhouseCoopers, where Jean worked, also issued a statement to ABC News following his death.

“This is a terrible tragedy. Botham Jean was a member of the PwC family in our Dallas office and we are simply heartbroken to hear of his death,” the company wrote.