Cop In Breonna Taylor Case Defends His Actions, Calls Protesters "Thugs"

BYAron A.3.1K Views
Link Copied to Clipboard!
Patrick Smith/Getty Images
Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly, a cop involved in Breonna Taylor's death, justifies his actions in leaked e-mail to colleagues.

Louisville, KY has been preparing for the worst in anticipation of Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron's announcement of whether he'll lay charges against the three officers involved in Breonna Taylor's murder. Following news that the Louisville Police Department declared a state of emergency, a leaked email sent by one of the officers involved in the murder displays a lack of remorse on his end. 

Jon Cherry/Getty Images

Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly, who was wounded in the shooting, wrote an apology e-mail to roughly 1,000 of his colleagues apologizing what they have to go through. He placed blame on the mayor and the former police chief before divulging into his true feelings about the outrage surrounding his actions.

"You DO NOT DESERVE to be in this position,” he wrote. “The position that allows thugs to get in your face and yell, curse and degrade you. Throw bricks bottles and urine on you and expect you to do nothing. It goes against EVERYTHING we were taught in the academy.” 

He then complained about being held accountable for his actions, writing, "The position that if you make a mistake during one of the most stressful times in your career, the department and FBI (who aren't cops and would piss their pants if they had to hold the line) go after you for civil rights violations. You civil rights mean nothing but the criminal has total autonomy." 

"Regardless of the outcome (of the Kentucky attorney general's decision) today or Wednesday, I know we did the legal, moral and ethical thing that night,” Mattingly continued. “It’s sad how the good guys are demonized, and the criminals are canonized.”

The e-mail was initially reported by Vice News reporter Roberto Aram Ferdman who shared screenshots on Twitter. Kent Wicker, Mattingly's attorney, confirmed its validity to the Louisville Courier Journal. 

"Sgt. Mattingly sent an email to his colleagues last evening expressing his support for them and their work in these difficult times,” Wicker said. “As you know, he was shot and severely wounded during the serving of this search warrant. Like our entire community, he is hopeful this process moves forward quickly and that his fellow officers and the people of Louisville remain safe.”

We'll keep you updated on Kentucky AG Daniel Cameron's announcement. 


About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
...