A Former Officer Was Indicted in the Case of Breonna Taylor—But Not for Murder
One officer was indicted in the killing of Breonna Taylor, the Kentucky attorney general announced today. Former police detective Brett Hankison has been indicted on three counts of first-degree wanton endangerment.
Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old EMT, was asleep in her home in Louisville, Kentucky, on the night of March 13 when police entered her apartment using a battering ram and shot her at least eight times, killing her. For months, the public have demanded that the responsible parties be held accountable for their actions.
The three police offers who fired their weapons that night–Jonathan Mattingly, Brett Hankison, and Myles Cosgrove—were placed on administrative leave following public outcry but have not faced charges until now. While Hankinson has been indicted, there were no indictments for Mattingly or Cosgrove.
In a press release following the indictment, the New York Times reports, Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron explained: “The decision before my office is not to decide if the loss of Breonna Taylor’s life was a tragedy—the answer to that question is unequivocally yes.” He went on to add, “I know that not everyone will be satisfied. Our job is to present the facts to the grand jury, and the grand jury then applies the facts.”
According to the Courier Journal, Louisville was “placed under a state of emergency” in advance of Cameron’s announcement. More than 25 city blocks were closed to traffic, buildings were boarded up, Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer imposed a 72-hour curfew, and the National Guard was activated.
Earlier this month, Mayor Fischer announced that the Louisville Metro Government (LMG) settled a civil lawsuit with Breonna Taylor’s estate, which entailed “a $12 million payment and an agreement on several policy changes and reforms.” In a statement about Breonna Taylor’s case, Fischer addressed her mother, Tamika Palmer.
“I cannot begin to imagine Ms. Palmer’s pain,” he said. “And I am deeply, deeply sorry for Breonna’s death.”
This is a developing story and will continue to be updated.
Originally Appeared on Glamour
