Aaron Dean was convicted of the fatal shooting of Atatiana Jefferson in 2019, but a civil lawsuit is still pending.
Amanda McCoy
amccoy@star-telegram.com
The Fort Worth City Council will reconsider whether to approve increasing the spending limit on former police officer Aaron Dean’s civil defense.
The move comes nearly two months after the council voted 10-1 to approve spending up to $200,000 defending Dean in the civil lawsuit stemming from the fatal shooting of Atatiana Jefferson in 2019.
While Dean is no longer a city employee, state law requires cities to pay for the legal defense of police officers sued in civil court for on the job incidents.
The council is reconsidering the vote after four council members signed onto a “council proposal,” according to the City Council’s Aug. 11 meeting agenda.
District 8 council member Chris Nettles — whose district includes Jefferson’s former neighborhood — was joined by District 11 council member Jeanette Martinez, District 9 council member Elizabeth Beck, and District 6 council member Mia Hall in calling for the revote.
Shortly after the June 23 meeting, Nettle expressed regret for his vote saying in a phone call with the Star-Telegram, Nettles said he’d normally vote against such measures, but wasn’t aware of it before the vote.
In a June 24 statement posted to social media, Nettles called his vote “an honest mistake” and asked residents not to see it as a reflection of his character, values or long-standing advocacy for social justice.
He did not immediately respond to a text message from the Star-Telegram requesting comment on the council proposal to reconsider the June 23 vote.
The item was originally included as part of the council’s consent agenda, which is a package of items voted on as a block at the beginning of the council meeting.
However, District 5 council member Deborah Peoples elected to remove the item from the consent agenda so it could be voted on as a stand-alone measure. This is usually done when a council member wants to recuse themselves from voting on an item or make a statement about its importance before casting a vote.
Dean is serving a nearly 12-year prison sentence on a manslaughter conviction in 2022. A federal civil lawsuit brought by Jefferson’s estate is pending in federal court.
Part of that lawsuit was settled in 2023 when the Fort Worth City Council approved paying $3.5 million to Jefferson’s nephew, Zion Carr, who witnessed the shooting and testified in Dean’s criminal trial.
However, the estate is still seeking damages from both Dean and the city alleging Dean used excessive force and the city bears some responsibility.
The council will take up the measure to reconsider the June 23 vote at its 6 p.m. meeting on Aug. 11 at City Hall.
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Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Harrison Mantas has covered Fort Worth city government, agencies and people since September 2021. He likes to live tweet city hall meetings, and help his fellow Fort Worthians figure out what’s going on.