As previously reported by REVOLT, Atatiana Jefferson was fatally shot on Oct. 12, 2019 by a Fort Worth, Texas police officer named Aaron Dean. On that fateful evening, he entered her home through an opened door after a neighbor requested a welfare check regarding the unsecured entryway. Without alerting Jefferson of his arrival, Dean fired his weapon into the home, killing her.
Yesterday (Jan. 30), Lee Merritt, an attorney for the family, shared even more devastating news — Jefferson’s sister has died. “Amber Carr passed away peacefully this morning. She was surrounded by family and loved ones. We are asking for your continued prayers and support as her two young sons deal with her transition,” he wrote on Twitter. The post contained a link to a GoFundMe account, which revealed “her condition [was] terminal and there [was] nothing more [doctors could] do.” As of today (Jan. 31), donations exceeded the $110,000 goal. According to Dallas local news station WFAA 8, Carr suffered from congestive heart failure and was not eligible for a heart transplant.
Amber Carr passed away peacefully this morning. She was surrounded by family and loved ones. We are asking for your continued prayers and support as her two young sons deal with her transition.https://t.co/Nrh7M4ArYs
— Lee Merritt (@MerrittForTexas) January 30, 2023
One of Carr’s sons happened to be present when Jefferson was killed. The child was spending time with his aunt when Dean’s careless decision cost the young woman her life. “The hardest part about all of this, for me and for the family, is dealing with the children who are growing up [experiencing] trauma after trauma,” Merritt shared with the news station earlier this month. He added, “Zion was 8 years old when he watched his auntie shot to death. He’s now playing with his mother in her hospital bedroom.”
Following Jefferson’s death, both of her parents passed away as well. On Nov. 9, 2019, her father died of a heart attack. “Less than a month ago, he was working at El Centro, mentoring kids twice a week. He just couldn’t get back from what happened with his daughter,” a family spokesperson said at the time. In January 2020, her mother passed away. Neither ever saw their daughter’s killer face jail time. In December 2022, Dean was sentenced to nearly 12 years in prison for fatally wounding Jefferson. Carr spoke at the trial, saying, “My sister did not do anything wrong. She was in her home, which should have been the safest place for her to be, and yet, turned out to be the most dangerous. She was murdered, and, as her big sister, I live every day with the pain that I could not do my job and protect her.”