Fort Worth could rename a highway after woman who was shot by police

The Fort Worth City Council is considering renaming a large portion of Interstate 35W in the memory of Atatiana Jefferson, who was killed in her home in 2019 by police responding to a call.

The City Council on Tuesday heard details during a workshop about what is required in Texas to rename a highway after a person. A vote could come as soon as Aug. 17.

The renaming would include about six miles of I-35W, from downtown south to Interstate 20, said William Johnson, public works director.

Former Fort Worth police officer Aaron Dean is accused of shooting Jefferson to death Oct. 12, 2019, while Jefferson was babysitting her nephew at her mother’s house in the 1200 block of East Allen Avenue. A neighbor had called police because a door was open at the house.

Jefferson, 28, who was Black, thought a prowler was in the yard and held a gun as she looked through a bedroom window. Dean, 35, who is white, fired once from outside through the window, killing her, according to an affidavit.

Her death sparked numerous protests, and became a prominent part of the Black Lives Matter movement in North Texas.

James Smith, who lives in the neighborhood where Jefferson was killed, spoke to the City Council Aug. 3 and urged members to rename I-35W for her. Smith said he has been a long-time advocate of renaming the highway after her and was frustrated that the city hadn’t acted sooner.

Smith and other residents also said they were frustrated that Dean’s trial, which isn’t yet scheduled, had been delayed by COVID closures.

“It has been 22 months since Atatiana Jefferson was killed,” Smith told the council. “It doesn’t cost a cent to send a proposal to TxDot, because they are waiting for it.”

Councilman Chris Nettles said he would favor naming the entire stretch of I-35W after Jefferson, including the portion from downtown north to Denton County. I-35W is a main north-south corridor through the city, and one of Tarrant County’s busiest freeways.

In October, the city renamed a portion of Allen Avenue and Maddox Avenue in Jefferson’s memory. The stretch of road between I-35W and U.S. 287 in the city’s Hillside-Morningside neighborhood was named Atatiana Jefferson Memorial Parkway.

But, Nettles said, “That’s not enough space.”