Grand jury to present report in Breonna Taylor's death

Grand jury to present report in Breonna Taylor's death

A grand jury in Kentucky was scheduled to present its findings to a judge in the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor at the hands of police officers who burst into her home at night

September 23, 2020, 3:50 PM

• 3 min read

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LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- A grand jury in Kentucky was scheduled to present its findings to a judge Wednesday in the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor at the hands of police officers who burst into her home at night.

The report was to be presented in Frankfort, and comes as people await a decision from Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron on whether charges will be filed against Louisville police officers involved in the shooting.

Taylor, a Black emergency medical worker, was shot multiple times by officers who entered her home using a no-knock warrant during a narcotics investigation on March 13. The warrant used to search her home was connected to a suspect who did not live there, and no drugs were found inside. The use of no-knock warrants has since been banned by Louisville’s Metro Council.

Cameron’s office had been receiving materials from the Louisville Police Department’s public integrity unit while they tried to determine whether state charges would be brought against the three officers involved, he has said.

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.

Hankison, Sgt. Johnathan Mattingly, Officer Myles Cosgrove and the detective who sought the warrant, Joshua Jaynes, were placed on administrative reassignment after the shooting.

Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, opened fire when police burst in, hitting Mattingly. Walker was charged with attempted murder of a police officer, but prosecutors later dropped the charge.

Walker told police he heard knocking but didn’t know who was coming into the home and fired in self-defense.

On Sept. 15, the city settled a lawsuit against the three officers brought by Taylor’s mother, Tamika Palmer, agreeing to pay her $12 million and enact police reforms.

Protesters in Louisville and across the country have demanded justice for Taylor and other Black people killed by police in recent months. The release in late May of a 911 call by Taylor’s boyfriend marked the beginning of days of protests in Louisville, fueled by her shooting and the violent death of George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25.

Several prominent African American celebrities including Oprah and Beyoncé have joined those urging that the officers be charged.

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