Brother of man shot dead by ex-Dallas police officer forgives and hugs her in court – watch

It was an act of Christian forgiveness that brought tears to the eyes of those in the courtroom.

Amber Guyger, 31, a white police officer, had just been jailed for 10 years for shooting dead her black neigbour Botham Jean, 26, whom she mistook for an intruder.

While protesters outside the court building in Dallas were outraged by the "lenient" sentence, the victim’s brother took a different path.

Brandt Jean, 18, asked the judge if he could hug his brother’s killer.

He then embraced Guyger for about a minute in the middle of the courtroom.

The teenager told her: "If you truly are sorry, I forgive you. And I know, if you go to God and ask him, he will forgive you. I’m speaking for myself, not my family, but I love you just like anyone else.

"I’m not going to say I hope you rot and die just like my brother did. I want the best for you. I don’t even want you to go to jail."

Judge Tammy Kemp then went to her chambers and returned with a Bible.

She too hugged the killer, and told her: "You just need a tiny mustard seed of faith. You start with this."

The extraordinary scene played out at the end of a long trial that stemmed from the shooting of Mr Jean, a black PricewaterhouseCoopers accountant, on September 26, 2018.

Guyger had returned to her apartment building after a 14-hour police shift, still in her uniform, and in a state she later described as "autopilot".

Her flat was number 1378 and Mr Jean lived at 1478, one floor above. His door was unlocked and he was sitting on the sofa eating ice cream.

After entering the wrong flat Guyger saw a person she thought was an intruder, drew her gun, and shot him twice.

The incident followed a series of high profile deaths of black men at the hands of white police officers, including Michael Brown in Missouri, and Philando Castile in Minnesota.

It sparked street protests in Dallas, and Guyger was fired from the police department.

During the trial a prosecutor asked: "When you shot him twice, you intended to kill him, didn’t you?" Guyger replied: "I did."

Giving evidence, she wept and told the court: "I ask God for forgiveness, and I hate myself every single day. I never wanted to take an innocent person’s life. I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry."

The mostly black jury of eight women and four men took less than six hours to convict her of murder.

But, while she could have been sentenced to life in prison, Guyger instead received 10 years, and will be eligible for parole in five years.

After the sentencing dozens of protesters marched through downtown Dallas chanting "No justice, no peace."

Lee Merritt, a lawyer for Mr Jean’s family, said: "Of course 10 years is inadequate. The entire justice system is inadequate and the work must continue."

During the trial the jury had been shown racist and offensive text messages sent by Guyger before the shooting.

In them she had described how she had joked about the death of Martin Luther King Jr, and written that black police officers had "a different way of working and it shows."

In one text she said her dog "may be racist" and added "It’s okay…I’m the same."

Mr Jean’s mother Allison said she had no idea that her surviving son was going to hug the killer.

She said: "I think what Brandt did was to heal himself and to free himself from what has been wrapped up within him for the last year,.

"And so we forgive. But I don’t want forgiveness to be mistaken with a total relinquishing of responsibility."

A video of the hug was played at the Dallas West Church of Christ, which the Jean family attends. The congregation applauded, cried, and said "Amen."

Eric Johnson, the mayor of Dallas, said: " I will never, ever forget the incredible examples of love, faith and strength personified by Botham, Brandt and the entire Jean family."