Did his broken heart led to a heart attack, leading to his untimely death?
Weeks after Atatiana Jefferson was fatally shot by a white police officer inside her Fort Worth, Texas home, her father has died.
Marquis Jefferson, 58, passed away Saturday night from a heart attack, at Methodist Charlton Medical Center, family spokesperson Bruce Carter confirmed to KXAS-TV.
“It’s just sad because of grief. I don’t know what else to say,” Carter told the station. “Less than a month ago, he was working at El Centro, mentoring kids twice a week. He just couldn’t get back from what happened with his daughter.”
His 28-year-old daughter’s death was at the hands of police officer Aaron Dean who shot and killed her in the same home where she was playing video games with her 8-year old nephew on Oct. 12.
Alleged body camera footage shows that Dean yelled, “Put up your hands up! Show me your hands!,” without identifying himself as law enforcement before fired through her window and killing her.
Earlier that evening, a neighbor had called police for a wellness check after noticing that a front door had been left open.
Dean immediately resigned from the Fort Worth Police Department and was later charged with murder.
A week after his daughter’s death, Jefferson was awarded a temporary restraining order that brought her scheduled funeral to a halt due to a family dispute.
The Xavier University alum’s funeral took place Oct. 24 as hundreds of people turned out to honor her at southwest Dallas’ Concord Church.
According to the New York Times, Jefferson announced his plans to create a foundation in his daughter’s name to support the development of aspiring black doctors, address homelessness, reduce stress in impoverished communities and empower youth.