One Officer Indicted in Fatal Shooting of EMT Breonna Taylor

Louisville Courier Journal

Telegram & Gazette, Worcester, Mass.

A Jefferson County grand jury has indicted one of three Louisville officers will face criminal charges in the March 13 fatal police shooting of 26-year-old Breonna Taylor.

It was announced Wednesday:

Former detective Brett Hankison was indicted on three counts of first-degree wanton endangerment.

Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly was not indicted.

Detective Myles Cosgrove was not indicted.

The announcement comes after Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron's office presented its findings to the grand jury earlier this week. His team has been investigating the Taylor shooting since May.

In anticipation of Cameron's announcement, Mayor Greg Fischer invoked a 72-hour curfew, effective Wednesday night, from 9 p.m. to 6:30 a.m.

Last week, Fischer announced the city agreed to a $12 million settlement with Breonna Taylor's family that includes more than a dozen police reforms.

The uncertainty swirling around the decision on possible criminal charges in Taylor's death has drawn both local and international attention as protesters have marched and chanted on Louisville's streets for 119 consecutive days.

Protesters in Louisville and supporters across the U.S. have called for "justice for Breonna" and other Black Americans, such as George Floyd in Minneapolis, who have been killed by police.

Taylor's death and the ensuing protests have been showcased in news reports and in public statements by celebrities, athletes, sports leagues and politicians from Joe Biden to Beyonce to LeBron James, all calling for justice and the arrest of the officers who [shot] the unarmed Louisville woman.

In the past week, the tension escalated to an unnerving pitch as national network crews arrived in Louisville and rumors spread wildly that a decision was imminent, only to be proven wrong again and again.

Wednesday's announcement comes as images of a restricted downtown Louisville have flashed across the world.

Downtown has taken on the appearance of a city under siege, with plywood nailed across business fronts and concrete barriers cordoning off a 25-block perimeter.

Louisville Metro Police interim Chief Robert Schroeder said the restrictions, long planned amid "unprecedented times," were meant to protect public safety, property, protesters and avoid conflicts between drivers and demonstrators.

Protesters will still be able to access downtown on foot to demonstrate and retain their First Amendment rights, city officials said.

"I hope all of this is not needed," Schroeder said.

Through it all, Cameron, a rookie Republican attorney general elected in November 2019 and a protege of Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, has stayed quiet. Until the decision came down today.

The ER technician was killed after officers used a "no-knock" search warrant at her apartment shortly before 1 a.m. March 13, looking for drugs and cash as part of a larger narcotics investigation connected to her former boyfriend.

Police knocked on the door and said they announced themselves before using a battering ram to force their way inside. Kenneth Walker, Taylor's boyfriend, said they were in bed when they heard pounding at the door, asked who it was and heard no response.

When the door burst open, Walker fired a single shot from his Glock handgun. Police said that round hit Mattingly in the thigh, severing an artery.

Mattingly, Cosgrove and Hankison fired more than two dozen rounds in response, spraying the apartment. Her death certificate says she was hit five times. She died in her hallway.

Walker was charged with the attempted murder of a police officer and assault before those charges were dropped at the request of Commonwealth's Attorney Tom Wine.

Mattingly and Cosgrove have been on administrative reassignment since the shooting. Hankison was fired for firing indiscriminately into Taylor's apartment.

The officers involved have not spoken publicly until Tuesday, when Mattingly sent a 2 a.m. email to more than 1,000 colleagues saying they had done the "legal, moral and ethical thing that night."

Walker has since filed a lawsuit against the department, arguing he is a victim of police misconduct and seeking immunity from prosecution. And his attorney, Steve Romines, has questioned whether Mattingly was accidentally shot by fellow officers in the mayhem.

The FBI is also investigating Taylor's death for possible civil rights violations by the officers.