Kings' Harrison Barnes, Wife Brittany to Pay for Funeral of Atatiana Jefferson

Sacramento Kings forward Harrison Barnes and his wife Brittany will pay for the funeral of Atatiana Jefferson, the Texas woman who was killed by a police officer in her own home Oct. 12.

Fox 4 reported the couple has offered to pay for the services. Barnes explained the decision to James Ham of NBC Sports California:

Jefferson, 28, was killed by police officer Aaron Dean, who fired into her home without announcing he was an officer when responding to a non-emergency call from a neighbor who noticed the doors of her home were open. Dean has been charged with murder. 

Jefferson was watching her nephew at the time. According to Dean's arrest warrant, Jefferson had pointed a gun out the window because she thought there was a prowler near her house. The gun was registered legally, and police chief Ed Kraus told reporters it "makes sense that she would have a gun if she felt that she was being threatened or there was someone in the backyard."

Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price called the act "unthinkable."  

Jefferson's funeral will be held Saturday in Dallas, where Barnes played three seasons with the Mavericks.