Mother of black man shot dead by white Dallas officer wonders if race played pivotal role

This Sept. 21, 2017, photo provided by Harding University in Search, Ark., shows Botham Jean leading worship at a university presidential reception in Dallas. (AP)

The mother of a black man who was shot dead by a white Dallas police officer after she mistook his apartment for her own, is questioning whether race played a role in the tragedy.

Allison Jean seemed to imply in an interview Friday -- after learning that the white female officer has killer her son, 26-year-old Botham Jean -- that events might have played out differently had he also been white.

"I didn't know she was white until now. If it was a white man, would it have been different? Would she have reacted differently?" she asked KXAS.

DALLAS COP FATALLY SHOOTS NEIGHBOR IN APARTMENT SHE MISTAKES FOR HER OWN, POLICE SAY

The officer, identified by police Saturday as Amber Guyger, a four-year veteran of the Dallas force, arrived at her apartment complex in uniform after working a shift on Thursday night. After the shooting, she called dispatch to report what happened. And she reportedly told responding officers she believed the victim’s apartment had been her own when she entered.

Jean was taken to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Authorities said Friday, Sept. 7, 2018, that a Dallas police officer returning home from work shot and killed Jean, a neighbor, after she said she mistook his apartment for her own. (Facebook)

It was not immediately clear how the officer got into the apartment or what other factors might have led to the shooting.

Guyger was placed on administrative leave while the police department and the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office conduct a joint investigation.

Dallas' police chief, U. Renee Hall, said Friday that the officer would be charged with manslaughter, but as of Saturday afternoon, the warrant hadn't been issued; Texas Rangers, who are conducting an independent investigation, asked the department to hold off because they needed more time to look into the shooting.

Jean attended Harding University in Arkansas and, after graduating in 2016, he had been living and working in Dallas at accounting and consulting firm PwC. The private school said Friday that he often led campus worship services while he was a student.

Fox News’ Kathleen Joyce and the Associated Press contributed to this report.