Community activists, friends and Botham Jean's own mother are speaking out and demanding justice.
Allison Jean is expected to land in Dallas tonight to claim her son’s body.
The 26-year-old was shot and killed Thursday by a Dallas police officer.
The officer, identified late Saturday as Amber Guyger, a five-year veteran of the force, allegedly entered Jean's apartment thinking it was her own then shot the young man thinking he was an intruder, police said.
Allison Jean spoke out today in New Jersey where she was visiting from her native St. Lucia.
She spoke out about her son, his strong faith and what she said she needed to ask the officer who shot him.
Dozens of people gathered under a cloudy sky in front of the Dallas Police Department headquarters to remember a light in the lives of many.
"I can rejoice knowing that while our hearts are heavier, Heaven is happier," said Jeremy Bonner, who met Botham Jean at the Dallas West Church of Christ.
He said his friend was very involved in church, leading Bible studies and singing in the choir.
"If you want to know more about Bo I would encourage you to open your Bible and read about Jesus because if you look close enough you'd see Christ," Bonner said.
Outrage over the shooting death of the 26-year-old grew throughout the day.
It led the group Mothers Against Police Brutality to hold a vigil at DPD headquarters.
"I'm here for Botham Jean," said Dr. Pamela Grayson, holding a sign on the sidewalk. "I'm here because I'm the mother of two brilliant black boys. I celebrate that black boy joy every day and no one has the right to snuff any of our children's lives out."
Grayson brought her six-year-old son to the demonstration even as she struggled to understand why Jean's life ended.
"This does not make any kind of sense," she said. "That young man was a reputable man. You can't call him a thug."
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Jean, of St. Lucia, was a college graduate, employed at a downtown Dallas accounting firm.
He called his mother, Allison, G.G. for governor general.
"It just feels like a nightmare," she said in an interview from New Jersey.
Jean said she will not judge the officer who shot and killed her son, but would like to see her.
"I need to look into her eyes and ask her why she did that to my son. She took away my heart. She took away my soul. She took away everything. He didn't deserve to die like that and the explanation does not make sense."
Jean is coming to Texas, she said, for justice too.
"There's too much in there that doesn't make sense. So I'm sitting here today because Botham would want me to get justice for him."
