#Dallas police union boss escapes charges in killer cop Amber Guyger’s case

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Dallas Police Association President Mike Mata
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A grand jury declined to indict the Dallas police union president on evidence-tampering charges in relation to the case of Amber Guyger, the officer who in 2018 claimed self-defense after walking into the wrong apartment and gunning down its occupant thinking he was an intruder.

During the trial, it was revealed that Dallas Police Association President Mike Mata instructed a subordinate to deactivate Guyger’s in-car camera following the incident so the pair could talk privately, according to The Dallas Morning News, a move that violated department rules.

Back in 2018 Guyger, who had just finished working a 14-hour shift, walked into an apartment on the wrong floor of her apartment building thinking it was her own, only to find Botham Jean, an unarmed black man, asleep in his bed. Allegedly thinking that Jean was an intruder, Guyger shot him. She was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

At the time of Guyger’s trial, Mata said, “I want a thorough investigation of all parties who were at the scene that night.”

“And when this investigation is done, it will show that I violated no policy and I did the standard practice that has been in place for several years.”

Robert Rogers, Mata’s attorney, says that the grand jury’s decision not to indict is proof that his client is innocent.

“Their decision not to indict just confirms what we have known since September of 2018 — Mike Mata did nothing wrong,” Rodgers said in a statement.

Many activists called for his resignation saying that Guyger received special treatment because she was a police officer.