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Brother of man killed by cop gets award for hugging her

The brother of a man killed by a Dallas police officer has accepted an award from a law enforcement organization for hugging the officer after she was convicted of murder.
Botham Jean's younger brother Brandt Jean hugs convicted murderer and former Dallas Police Officer Amber Guyger after delivering his impact statement to her after she was sentenced to 10 years in jail. (The Dallas Morning News/AP)

PLANO, Texas (AP) — The brother of a man killed by a Dallas police officer has accepted an award from a law enforcement organization for hugging the officer after she was convicted of murder.

The Institute for Law Enforcement Administration gave 18-year-old Brandt Jean the award Tuesday for his “display of empathy and forgiveness” toward Amber Guyger.

In October, Brandt embraced Guyger in court after she was sentenced to a decade in prison for shooting Botham Jean in his apartment last year. Guyger, 31, said she mistook Jean’s home for her own and thought the 26-year-old was an intruder.

Gregory Smith, director of the Dallas-area institute, said Brandt’s actions helped the community heal.

Brandt said at the ceremony that it was hard to accept an award from a police training group because he believes a lack of training lead to his brother’s death.

(Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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