Grand jury indicts 1 police officer in Breonna Taylor death
Posted September 23, 2020 11:44 am.
Last Updated September 23, 2020 3:38 pm.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – A grand jury has indicted one officer on criminal charges six months after Breonna Taylor was fatally shot by police in Kentucky.
The jury presented its decision against fired officer Brett Hankison Wednesday to a judge in Louisville, where the shooting took place.
Taylor was shot multiple times by officers who burst into her home on March 13 during a narcotics investigation.
No drugs were found in her home.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Louisville mayor announces 9 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. curfew ahead of grand jury report on Breonna Taylor's death.
— Rob Gillies (@rgilliescanada) September 23, 2020
Protesters across the country have demanded justice for Taylor and other Black people killed by police in recent months.
Officer Brett Hankison was fired from the city’s police department June 23. A termination letter sent to him by interim Louisville Police Chief Robert Schroeder said the white officer had violated procedures by showing “extreme indifference to the value of human life” when he “wantonly and blindly” shot 10 rounds of gunfire into Taylor’s apartment in March.
#UPDATE: @DanielCameronAG says Breonna was shot 6 times, one shot was fatal. No conclusive evidence that the bullets shot by Hankinson hit Breonna. @FBI forensics lab says Det. Cosgrove fired the fatal shot that killed Breonna Taylor. He is not facing charges.
— Patrick Luciani (@LucianiCityNews) September 23, 2020
Hankison, Sgt. Johnathan Mattingly, Officer Myles Cosgrove and the detective who sought the warrant, Joshua Jaynes, were placed on administrative reassignment after the shooting.
If Brett Hankison's behavior was wanton endangerment to people in neighboring apartments, then it should have been wanton endangerment in Breonna Taylor's apartment too. In fact, it should have been ruled wanton murder!
— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) September 23, 2020