One Police Officer Has Been Charged For His Role in Breonna Taylor's Death
Celebrity PSA Demands Justice for Breonna Taylor
Celebrities including Kerry Washington, Alicia Keys, and Gabrielle Union promoted actionable ways to demand justice for Breonna Taylor in a new video that spotlights Taylor's mother.
Following an investigation, a judge has announced that former Louisville Metro Police Department Detective Brett Hankison has been charged with three counts of first-degree wanton endangerment by the grand jury in the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor. No other officer has been charged at this time.
Ahead of the announcement of the decision, the mayor of the city of Louisville declared a state of emergency on Tuesday for the city "due to the potential for civil unrest."
Last week, Louisville settled Taylor's wrongful death lawsuit for $12 million. Taylor, a 26-year-old EMT, was killed by police in March, after Louisville police officers broke down the door to her home and fatally shot her during a "no-knock" warrant in a narcotics investigation the night of March 13. Her family filed a lawsuit afterward, claiming that the officers "did not knock or identify themselves prior to entering Breonna’s home."
"The city's response in this case has been delayed and it's been frustrating, but the fact that they've been willing to sit down and talk significant reform was a step in the right direction and hopefully a turning point," the family's attorney, Sam Aguilar, said following the announcement of the settlement.
Up until now, none of the officers involved in her death — Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly and Officers Brett Hankison and Myles Cosgrove — had been charged with a crime, though Hankison was fired in late June for "wantonly and blindly" firing 10 rounds into her apartment.
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Ahead of the decision today, protestors around the country prepared for the announcement. Justice for George NYC, an Instagram account keeping protestors updated on marches in the city, wrote Tuesday evening, "If no charges or insufficient charges are brought, we take to the streets and SAY HER NAME."
Last week, the F.B.I. announced they were also investigating the case.
“The F.B.I. will collect all available facts and evidence and will ensure that the investigation is conducted in a fair, thorough and impartial manner,” the Louisville field office of the F.B.I. said in a statement to the New York Times.
