A grand jury has opted to indict one of the three Louisville police officers involved in the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor. Of the officers involved in the fatal execution of the no-knock warrant against Taylor’s residence: Myles Cosgrove, Brett Hankison, and Jonathan Mattingly, Hankison was the sole officer indicted.
Hankison, who was recently fired for his role in the encounter, faces three counts of First Degree Felony Wanton Endangerment. This charge carries the possible punishment of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine, per count. The charges are believed to have arisen out of concern that Hankison endangered not Taylor, but Taylor’s neighbors by firing into their homes.
Said Kentucky Attorney General, Daniel Cameron in his reaction, “Every day, this family wakes up to the realization that someone they love is no longer with them. There is nothing I can do today to take away the grief and heartache this family is experiencing as a result of losing a child.”
Controversially, he claimed “The warrant was not served as a no-knock warrant”, despite this claim being substantiated through extensive reporting.
Cameron, an African-American Republican, has been criticized for his inaction on the case, as well as his support for Donald Trump and his invocation of Taylor’s name at the 2020 Republican National Convention.
He used his speech reacting to the grand jury announcement to emphasize the importance of the federal government being able to investigate the occurrence as it sees fit, and declined to express a detailed view of the investigation, citing state law as a prohibitor.
Earlier this week, the Police Department of Louisville issued a city-wide state of emergency, erecting barricades, installing a 9 P.M. curfew, and overseeing the temporary prohibition of vacation time for Louisville officers. Many speculate this is in anticipation of sizable protests.
This is a developing story and is to be updated.
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