The Texas House of Representatives has passed a bill honoring Botham Jean.
Reports state that the vote was 108-34 in favor of the new bill called the Botham Jean Act also known as Bo’s Law. This bill is designed to take on “systemic accountability” in policing.
It will require body cameras to be activated throughout investigations that police are actively involved in. Carl O. Sherman, the Texas Rep. who voted in favor of the bill said in a statement, “I am thankful that we are continuing to work from a place of bi-partisanship and that we have found a common ground to move Bo’s Law into law in the state of Texas.”
He added, “I also want to thank House Speaker Dade Phelan for his support. In keeping with the spirit of the young man who HB929 was named after, ‘Let the spirit of Botham Jean continue to rise among us.”
Botham Jean was shot and killed while eating ice cream in his apartment by former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger. Guyger claimed that she thought that Jean was burglarizing her apartment before realizing she was in the wrong apartment.
She has been indicted on murder charges and has been sentenced to 10-years in prison. Guyger is currently awaiting to appeal her conviction.