Gage Johnson
Editor-in-Chief
gjohnson17@murraystate.edu
Six months after Breonna Taylor was shot to death during a police raid, one of the three officers involved were charged—and it was for firing off rounds that put Taylor’s neighbors in danger.
During the indictment hearing on Wednesday, Sept. 23, it was announced that the Louisville grand jury charged former detective Brett Hankison on three counts of first-degree wanton endangerment.
This announcement comes after the $12 million settlement that was made on Sept. 15 which also included 12 items of police reform.
The charges against Hankison were made for putting Taylor’s neighbors in danger, as Taylor’s neighbor Chelsey Napper stated in a lawsuit filed in early May that a man was almost struck by a bullet inside the neighboring apartment after shots were “blindly fired” by the officers.
Each of the three wanton endangerment charges carries a sentence of up to five years. His bail is set at $15,000 cash and a warrant has been issued for his arrest. Hankison was fired from the LMPD on June 23 for his involvement in the Taylor shooting.
The other officers involved—Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly and Detective Myles Cosgrove—were not indicted, meaning that no charges were made in direct correlation to Taylor’s shooting.
Attorney General Daniel Cameron held a press conference to address the decision made by the grand jury to not charge the officers, the indictment of wanton endangerment and the investigation itself.
First Cameron addressed Taylor’s family and the tragic loss of Taylor’s life, by saying that the pain they are going through is extremely important to keep in mind.
“Everyday this family wakes up to the realization that someone they loved is no longer with them,” Cameron said. “There’s nothing I can offer today to take away the grief and heartache this family is experiencing as a result of losing a child, a niece, a sister and a friend. There is no doubt that this is a gut wrenching emotional case and the pain that many people are feeling is understandable. I deeply care about the value and sanctity of human life. It deserves protection. And in this case, a human life was lost. We can not forget that.”
Cameron said during the investigation in the case, it was important to ensure that emotions were put aside and decisions were made based on facts.
Cameron also said with no video footage or body cam footage to be reviewed, the case was investigated through ballistics evidence in correspondence with the FBI.
After obtaining a search warrant, Cameron said the officers had knocked on the door and made their presence known.
After no answer from the residents, the decision was made to breach the door. Mattingly was the first and only officer to enter and saw a male and a female standing next to each other—that being Taylor and her boyfriend Kenneth Walker.
“In his statement, he says that the male was holding a gun, arms extended in a shooting stance,” Mattingly said. “Sergeant Mattingly saw the man’s gun fire, heard a boom and immediately knew he was shot as a result of feeling heat in his upper thigh. Kenneth Walker fired the shot that hit Sergeant Mattingly and there is no evidence to support that Sergeant Mattingly was hit by friendly fire from other officers. Mr. Walker admitted that he fired one shot and was the first to shoot.”
Mattingly, Cosgrove and Hankison had no involvement in the obtaining of the search warrant and had only had information given to them in a prior briefing.
Cameron went on saying that evidence shows that Mattingly and Cosgrove were justified in returning fire after being initially fired at by Walker.
“According to Kentucky law, the use of force by Mattingly and Cosgrove was justified to protect themselves,” Cameron said. “This justification bars us from pursuing criminal charges in Ms. Breonna Taylor’s death.”
Cameron said while the decision made by the grand jury might not seem suitable to many in the community and across the country, people must be aware that all cases like Taylor’s are not alike.
“I understand that Ms. Breonna Taylor’s death has become a part of a national story and conversation,” Cameron said. “But we must also remember, the facts and the collection of evidence in this case, are different than cases elsewhere in the country. Each is unique and cannot be compared.”
The Attorney General said the tragic loss of Taylor must be prevented, as no family should have to deal with a loss of this magnitude. In order to do so, a task force will be built to look at the process of obtaining, executing and securing search warrants.
Cameron said an executive order regarding this task force will be announced in the coming days. The task force will consist of citizens, members from the law enforcement community, representatives from the judiciary, defense attorneys and elected leaders.
Following the announcement, people from all over the country took to social media to voice their opinion. Ben Crump said via Twitter that no charges being made in regards to Taylor’s shooting is outrageous and offensive, whereas Murray State alumnus Sam Aguiar voiced his disappointment via Facebook.
“Way to really rub it in,” Aguiar said in a Facebook post. “Three counts for the shots into the apartment of the white neighbors, but no counts for the shots into the apartment of the black neighbors upstairs above Breonna’s. Let alone everything else you got wrong. I’m so sorry Breonna. And Tamika. And Juniyah. And Kenny. And Bianca. And Tahasha. And everyone. This isn’t right and I should’ve done more.”
In Gov. Andy Beshear’s daily briefing, he addressed the decision made by the grand jury and an idea that he had brought forth to the attorney general. He reiterated the idea with an official request in the briefing, stating that the information regarding Taylor’s case should be made available to the public.
“In the announcement he described the investigation, but he talked about information, facts, evidence, that neither I or the general public have seen,” Beshear said. “I believe that the public deserves this information. So I previously made what I would call a suggestion to the attorney general and now I’m making the request that he post online all the information, evidence and facts that he can release without impacting the three felony counts and the indictment issues today.”
Rep. Charles Booker later followed up Beshear’s remarks, saying the justice system fell short of its job to protect its citizens today.
“Justice failed us today,” Booker said. “It failed us in a way that it has been failing us for generations… A woman, a black woman, was killed in her home by the agency paid for to protect and serve her. That’s wrong. There is no justifying that.”
Booker also said work must be done to make change, enforce Breonna’s Law and keep her legacy alive.
A state of emergency was declared for Louisville in anticipation of protests in the city. A 72-hour curfew is effective as of Wednesday, Sept. 23, and was set from 9:00 p.m. to 6:30 a.m.
The Kentucky National Guard’s 438th Military Police Co. out of Murray was called up to Louisville.
Cameron addressed the potential protests, saying peaceful protests are allowed but any heinous acts will be dealt with by any means necessary to keep the community safe.
“I urge those protesting on the streets to remember this,” Cameron said. “Peaceful protests are your right as an american citizen. Instigating violence and destruction are not. I’ve spoken with both Mayor Fischer and Governor Beshear in the days leading up to this announcement and I’ve urged them to do what is necessary to maintain law and order and to protect our cities and our people.”