A woman reacts to news in the Breonna Taylor shooting in Louisville, Kentucky
Credit: AP
The city of Louisville is bracing for fresh protests after a grand jury in Kentucky declined to charge police officers with the killing of Breonna Taylor, whose death has become a rallying cry against racism across the US and the world.
Only one of the three officers involved in the fatal shooting of black emergency medical worker Ms Taylor was indicted on a lower criminal charge of “wanton endangerment”.
Ms Taylor, 26, was shot multiple times by plainclothes officers who entered her home after midnight using a "no-knock" warrant that allowed them to enter without warning during a drugs investigation on March 13.
The warrant used to raid her home was connected to a suspect — her ex-boyfriend — who did not live there, and no drugs were found inside.
Former police officer Brett Hankison, who fired a number of the shots, was on Wednesday charged with three counts of wanton endangerment in the first degree, after it was determined he had shot into neighbouring flats.
Hundreds gathered to protest the death of Breonna Taylor and other forms of racial injustices in Louisville
Credit: Reuters
The charge carries a penalty of one to five years in prison. The judge set a $15,000 (£12,000) cash bond.
The two other officers involved in the incident were not charged.
Daniel Cameron, Kentucky’s Attorney General, said the pair — Sgt. Johnathan Mattingly and Officer Myles Cosgrove — were “justified” in their use of force as they fired in self-defence after Ms Taylor’s boyfriend fired a shot.
“This is a gutwrenching, emotional case,” Mr Cameron said. “I understand the public’s desire for answers.
“There’s nothing I can do to take away the heartache (…) but what I can provide today are the facts.”
Louisville’s mayor declared a state of emergency and a 9pm curfew, fearing civil unrest.
Protesters in Louisville and across the country have demanded justice for Ms Taylor and other black people killed by police in recent months. A 911 call of her killing that was released in late May sparked demonstrations across the city and coincided with the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis that galvanised nationwide rallies.
Ms Taylor’s family, and several prominent African American celebrities including Oprah and Beyonce, had joined those urging that the officers be charged with her murder.
Breonna Taylor posing during a graduation ceremony in Louisville Kentucky.
Credit: AFP
“Is that it?” one demonstrator in downtown Louisville shouted after the decision was read. “What the hell”, shouted another.
Tamika Mallory told a crowd gathered: “We have a responsibility to the rest of this nation and for generations to come that we conduct ourselves, not peacefully, but non-violently, so the story that comes out of here is not that we are not the murderers, we are not the looters, we are not the burners. We did it to us and we are only responding.”
Al Sharpton, the prominent civil rights leader, called the charges “grossly insufficient”.
"Justice has NOT been served," tweeted Linda Sarsour of Until Freedom, a group that has pushed for charges in the case. "Rise UP. All across this country. Everywhere. Rise up for #BreonnaTaylor."
While the protests in Louisville have been largely peaceful over the last few months, they have on occasion turned violent.
Mr Hankison was fired from the city’s police department on June 23. A termination letter sent to him by Robert Schroeder, the interim Louisville Police Chief, 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 Ms Taylor’s apartment in March.
People react after a decision in the criminal case against police officers involved in the death of Breonna Taylor, who was shot dead by police in her apartment, in Louisville
Credit: Reuters
Sgt. Mattingly, Officer Cosgrove and the detective who sought the warrant, Joshua Jaynes, were placed on administrative reassignment after the shooting.
Kenneth Walker, Ms Taylor’s boyfriend, opened fire when police burst in, hitting Officer Mattingly.
Walker was charged with attempted murder of a police officer, but prosecutors later dropped the charge. He told police he heard knocking but did not know who was coming into the home and fired in self-defense.
Earlier this month the city settled a lawsuit against the three officers brought by Tamika Palmer, Ms Taylor’s mother, agreeing to pay her $12 million and enact police reforms.
The city of Louisville has introduced a number of reforms in policing since the March killing, including banning the use of no-knock warrants.
Свежие комментарии