Fort Worth

Casket Bearing Atatiana Jefferson's Name Left Outside Fort Worth Mayor's Home

Police are investigating the incident as a terroristic threat, records show

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A casket bearing the name of Atatiana Jefferson and other people shot by Fort Worth police was left outside Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker’s home Saturday morning.

Photos shared on Facebook showed a gray coffin with red paint dripping down its sides and “ATATIANA” painted on top. Jefferson, who was Black, was killed in 2019 by then-Officer Aaron Dean, who is currently on trial for murder.

A red target was painted on the casket’s side. Other names on it included David Collie, who was paralyzed after being shot in the back by an off-duty officer in 2016 and died this year, and Dacion Steptoe, who died in an exchange of gunfire between police and robbery suspects in 2018 that also killed Fort Worth Officer Garrett Hull. Both Collie and Steptoe were Black.

According to a police report, officers responded to the mayor’s residence in the Ridglea North neighborhood near Interstate 30 and Camp Bowie Boulevard at about 8:30 a.m. The report says the incident is being investigated as a terroristic threat.

Fort Worth police confirmed officers responded to a disturbance call at the home but said no additional information could be released because of the ongoing investigation.

The mayor’s office referred a request for comment to the police department.

To read the full story, visit our partners at The Dallas Morning News.

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