Dallas Police Officer Amber Guyger shot and killed Botham Jean in his apartment. Former Federal Prosecutor Aaron Wiley says the case in Dallas last week fits a case that the Rangers would investigate.
Many comments and questions on social media are talking about the Texas Rangers. Who are they?
In a post by Gina Woodard, she asks, “Why would the Texas Rangers have any type of involvement […]?” WFAA is here to answer those questions.
The Texas Ranger Division is part of the Texas Department of Public Safety. It’s often seen as an elite team that holds criminal investigative responsibility for the following:
- Major incident crime investigations
- Unsolved crime/serial crime investigations
- Public corruption and public integrity investigations
- Officer involved shooting investigations
- Border security operations
Dallas Police Chief Renee Hall called for the Texas Rangers to take over the investigation.
Wiley said it unusual for a large agency like the Dallas Police Department to call on the Rangers. The last time Texas Rangers investigated a case here was the 2016 ambush of Dallas Police Officers. He believes the new police chief making decisions is part of the reason the Rangers have taken over this case.
“That is to avoid the appearance of impropriety,” said Wiley, “This is all about transparency and having someone from outside take a fresh look, and someone from an agency who’s competency can’t be questioned.”