Dallas officer in wrong apartment fatally shoots neighbour

A white Dallas police officer who said she mistook a black neighbour's apartment for her own fatally shot that person, and authorities are seeking manslaughter charges, police said Friday.

It was not clear what the officer may have said to 26-year-old male Botham Jean after entering his home late on Thursday. But given what investigators currently know about the case, they decided to pursue a manslaughter case, police said.

"Right now, there are more questions than we have answers," Police Chief U Renee Hall said at a news conference on Friday afternoon. She said she spoke to Jean 's sister to express condolences to the family.

It was also unclear if the officer was in custody. Hall said she did not know the whereabouts of the officer, whose name was not released.

According to police, the officer returned home in her uniform after her shift. She called dispatch to report that she had shot a man, and she later told the officers who responded that she believed the victim's apartment was her own when she entered it.

The responding officers administered first aid to Jean, a native of the Caribbean country of St Lucia who attended college in Arkansas and worked for accounting and consulting firm PwC.

Jean was taken to a hospital, where he died.

Hall said the officer's blood was drawn to be tested for drugs and alcohol. She declined to speculate as to whether fatigue or other factors may have factored into the shooting. She also said the Texas Rangers will conduct an independent investigation.

Authorities have not said how the officer got into Jean's home, or whether his door was open or unlocked. The apartment complex is just a few blocks from Dallas police headquarters.

Residents of the complex said they can access their units with a key or through a keypad code.

Jeffrey Scherzer, who lives there, said when he returned home after the shooting, an officer escorted him to his apartment and warned him to steer clear of a blood trail.

Two women who live on the second floor near where the shooting happened said they heard a lot of noise late on Thursday.

"It was, like, police talk: 'Open up! Open up!'" Caitlin Simpson, 20, told The DallasMorning News.

Yazmine Hernandez, 20, was studying with Simpson when they heard the commotion.

"We heard cops yelling, but otherwise had no idea what was going on," Hernandez said.

Attorney Lee Merritt, who has been involved with high-profile cases in North Texas, said on Friday the officer should have already been arrested, like any other person in a similar situation.