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Amber Carr, sister of Atatiana Jefferson, dies after long illness

Amber Carr, a Black woman with short, straight black hair and black glasses is pushed out of a courtroom in her wheelchair. Her brother Adarius Carr, a Black man wearing a button down shirt and tie, pushes her.
Amanda McCoy/amccoy@star-telegram.com
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Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Amber Carr, center, leaves the courtroom after the first day of the murder trial of former Fort Worth police officer Aaron Dean. Carr’s son, Zion, 11, testified about what he witnessed the night Jefferson was killed.

Carr worked to further science education in Fort Worth in honor of her sister, who was killed by former Fort Worth police officer Aaron Dean in 2019.

Amber Carr, who fought to make sure Fort Worth remembered her sister's name after she was killed by police, has died. She was 33.

The Carr family's attorney, Lee Merritt, announced her death on Twitter on Monday.

"Amber Carr passed away peacefully this morning. She was surrounded by family and loved ones. We are asking for your continued prayers and support as her two young sons deal with her transition," Merritt wrote.

Carr entered the public spotlight after an on-duty Fort Worth police officer killed her sister, Atatiana Jefferson, on Oct. 12, 2019.

One of Carr's sons, Zion, witnessed his aunt Atatiana's shooting when he was just 8 years old. In December, Zion, now 11, took the stand during the trial of the now-former officer who shot her, Aaron Dean.

Dean was convicted of manslaughter and received a prison sentence of nearly 12 years.

Zion Carr, 11, testifies during the murder trial of former Fort Worth police officer Aaron Dean on Monday, December 5, 2022. Carr was Atatiana Jefferson’s nephew and present when she was shot and killed by Dean in 2019.
Amanda McCoy/amccoy@star-telegram.com
/
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Zion Carr, 11, testifies during the murder trial of former Fort Worth police officer Aaron Dean on Monday, Dec. 5, 2022. Carr was Atatiana Jefferson’s nephew and present when she was shot and killed by Dean in 2019.

Carr attended the first part of the trial in December but was absent for the rest after being hospitalized. After the jury convicted Dean, Jefferson's family members were allowed to address him directly. Carr's sister Ashley read Amber's statement in her absence.

Amber wrote about how much she relied on Jefferson, and how much she made Amber laugh.

"No amount of sentencing will make me feel as though we received some type of justice," Amber wrote. "Atatiana should still be here."

Carr entered hospice care earlier this month, according to The Dallas Morning News. She was diagnosed with terminal congestive heart failure and given "days left to live," Merritt wrote in an Instagram post in early January.

Carr has long suffered health problems. She had undergone two major heart surgeries since 2016, her bio on the Atatiana Project website says. She and her mother were both in the hospital the night Jefferson was killed, which is why Jefferson was watching Zion.

Amber and Ashley Carr launched the nonprofit Atatiana Project in 2020. The group works to expand STEAM education across Fort Worth, to honor Jefferson's love for science and her dream of becoming a doctor. The Atatiana Project has also mounted parades in Jefferson's memory.

“It’s supposed to motivate you to get out in the community and make a difference,” Amber Carr told KERA in an interview before the first Tay Day Parade in 2021.

Jefferson's mother and father both died in the months after her killing.

Amber Carr is survived by her young sons, Zion, 11, and Zayden, 7, as well as her siblings, Ashley and Adarius Carr.

Aaron Dean is appealing his conviction and has requested a new trial.

KERA News is made possible through the generosity of our members. If you find this reporting valuable, consider making a tax-deductible gift today. Thank you.

Got a tip? Email Miranda Suarez at msuarez@kera.org. You can follow Miranda on Twitter @MirandaRSuarez.

Miranda Suarez is KERA’s Tarrant County accountability reporter. Before coming to North Texas, she was the Lee Ester News Fellow at Wisconsin Public Radio, where she covered statewide news from the capital city of Madison. Miranda is originally from Massachusetts and started her public radio career at WBUR in Boston.