Judge issues gag order in Fort Worth officer’s murder trial

FORT WORTH (AP) — A judge has issued a gag order in the murder trial of a white Fort Worth police officer who shot a black woman in her home.

The order prohibits lawyers and others involved in Aaron Dean’s trial from speaking publicly about specifics of the case.

Bodycam footage shows Dean shot 28-year-old Atatiana Jefferson through a back window of her home in the early morning. Dean cannot be heard identifying himself as police. He was responding to a call about an open front door.

Dean, now 35, resigned and was charged with murder soon after the Oct. 12 shooting.

Jefferson’s death drew national attention. Judge David Hagerman wrote that the gag order is “necessary in order to prevent imminent and irreparable harm to the judicial process.”