Brandt Jean, brother of man killed by cop gets Ethical Courage Award for hugging her

PLANO, Texas (AP) — The brother of a man killed by a Dallas police officer has accepted an Ethical Courage 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.