FORT WORTH, Texas — The sister of Atatiana Jefferson, the Fort Worth woman who was killed by police officer Aaron Dean in 2019, has died, just weeks after Dean was sentenced in Jefferson's death, a family attorney announced Monday.
Amber Carr, Jefferson's older sister, "passed away peacefully this morning," Lee Merritt tweeted shortly after 1 p.m. Monday.
"She was surrounded by family and loved ones," Merritt said. "We are asking for your continued prayers and support as her two young sons deal with her transition."
Carr, who had congestive heart failure, had been hospitalized for weeks, including during Dean's trial in her sister's killing.
Her doctors informed her she was not eligible for a heart transplant.
Dean was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to nearly 12 years in prison. During the trial, Amber Carr's son, Zion, testified about the night Dean killed his aunt. Zion Carr was with Jefferson in her home when the shooting happened.
Amber Carr, who spent three years seeking justice for her sister, began suffering health complications after Jefferson's death, Merritt said.
“The hardest part about all of this, for me and for the family is dealing with the children who are growing up experience trauma after trauma,” Merritt told WFAA in early January, as Carr fought for her life. “Zion was 8 years old when he watched his auntie shot to death. He’s now playing with his mother in her hospital bedroom.”