A white former police officer who gunned down her unarmed black neighbour in his own apartment, will face trial for his murder a grand jury in Dallas has decided.

Amber Guyger fatally shot Botham Jean when she mistakenly entered his apartment instead of her own.

She told investigators that on 6 September, she found the door open and believing it to be hers, and opened it to see someone standing in the dark.

After she pulled out her gun, she said the 26-year-old failed to obey her commands and she shot him twice.

Three days later she was arrested and charged with manslaughter. The recent indictment upgraded her charge to murder.

Mr Jean, a native of Caribbean island St Lucia, graduated from a college in Arkansas and was working for the prominent consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).

Ms Guyger was fired from the Dallas Police Department, shortly after the shooting.

Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events

The victim’s family filed civil lawsuits against the city of Dallas and Ms Guyger.

The federal lawsuit against Ms Guyger asserts she used excessive force against Mr Jean. It also claims that her police department did not give her adequate training as an officer.