Louisville grand jury indicts 1 of 3 officers in fatal Breonna Taylor police shooting

[Bayard]

Source: Louisville Courier Journal

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A Jefferson County grand jury has indicted one of three Louisville officers in the March 13 fatal police shooting of 26-year-old Breonna Taylor.

But the charges are for putting Taylor's neighbors in danger, not for killing her.

The grand jury's decision Wednesday:

Former detective Brett Hankison was indicted on three counts of first-degree wanton endangerment.
Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly was not indicted.
Detective Myles Cosgrove was not indicted.
A wanton endangerment charge is a class D felony and carries a penalty of one to five years in prison. The charges read by Judge Annie O'Connell on Wednesday said that Hankison "wantonly shot a gun" into adjoining Apartment 3.

The occupants of that apartment were identified by initials. None of victims identified in the indictment was BT — Breonna Taylor.

Read more: https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/breonna-taylor/2020/09/23/what-we-know-about-breonna-taylor-case-announcement/5415646002/

---

The wanton endangerment charges were for the shots that went into the neighbors apartment--not for killing Taylor. The other shots were self-defense because her boyfriend pulled a gun on people busting down his door in the middle of the night.

[Bayard]

1. More bullshit

"Cameron said the grand jury decided homicide charges are not applicable because the investigation showed that Mattingly and Cosgrove were justified in returning deadly fire after they were fired upon by Kenneth Walker, Taylor's boyfriend, who has said he didn't know police were at the door.
He said there was "nothing conclusive to say" that any of Hankison's bullets hit Taylor."

KY AG fumbling along on CNN now. Getting questions he can't answer.

Crowds are starting to gather in Louisville. Authorities knew this was coming--that's why they brought in barricades yesterday. Under curfew. An arrest warrant has been issued for Hankison.

[NurseJackie]

2. I don't have the words.

[brush]

3. There will be demonstrations, and not just in that city. This will get people out all over the...

nation. She's dead but no one is to blame even though they shot up her apartment and killed her.

This is sick, reminiscent of the Michael Brown murder.

[Bayard]

4. Louisville

[brush]

7. Thanks, I just changed it.

[Miguelito Loveless]

5. They are counting on it.

They want protests. They will infiltrate them and provoke violence so they can crack down.

[not fooled]

17. And scare the dumbs*its who watch faux

that if red don doesn't get re-elected, the entire nation will be engulfed in flames.

[Miguelito Loveless]

23. Trouble is,

it may be a self-fulfilling prophecy.

[Hoyt]

6. I believe it's the fault of those that approved the warrant and made the error.

I'd like to see these warrants strictly limited.

I think the AG is being honest and I'm glad to see all Kentuckians aren't like Moscow Mitch.

[totodeinhere]

8. I am sorry but it doesn't look good for tonight. I bet there will be riots all over the place

tonight.

[Jose Garcia]

9. The officers were given a set of rules and trained to perform their jobs in a certain manner

They should not be prosecuted for doing what they were supposed to do.

The "rules of engagement" need to be changed so that these dangerous operations occur far less frequently than they do now.

[The Mouth]

10. So were the SS Officers killing undesirables

'Just following orders' is NEVER and should never be an excuse.

[Jose Garcia]

16. The Nazis committed war crimes.

What these officers did was legal. If you want to punish them for something which was legal but is no longer legal, I suggest you read the Constitution and see what it says about ex post facto laws.

[The Mouth]

25. There were no laws, in Germany, against what they did at the time

Technically, what they were convicted of WERE ex-post facto crimes.

Following orders, or the law, is not an excuse when it comes to crimes against humanity, settled law. Or are you saying that if a policeman or soldier were given orders to fire live ammunition into a crowd, it would be OK because they were following orders?

[llashram]

21. they never identified themselves

Breonna's boyfriend's gun was legal. Why do people always come to the aid of killers like this? Breonna's boyfriend was protecting his household. American police have always looked at brown people as targets. They were supposed to kill Breonna. Early on in this travesty, there were reports about her activism but that quickly was swept under the rug. There is a group she was working with that was fighting some group who wanted to gentrify their neighbourhood. We all know what that means for poor people and people of colour. Breonna was the message sent to those fighting the gentrification of their neighbourhood

[Jose Garcia]

29. A civilian witness testified that he or she did hear the police identify themselves

[llashram]

30. so what, that was a time after

this foul murderous deed. If you must defend the killers of Breonna Taylor, it is your right. I know what I know and for me, defence of these types is problematic. I am done with this discussion.

[Jose Garcia]

31. And I am sure that you spent just as much time as the member of the Grand Jury in examining

the evidence.

[llashram]

33. I did spend time

Last edited Sat Sep 26, 2020, 06:00 PM - Edit history (1)

going over every word about this murder and now this witness. Aarin Sarpee recanting his testimony about whether he heard the murderers identify themselves. He didn't, he did, he didn't, he did as I knew he didn't. This one stunk from the very beginning. And don' forget the wannabe gentrifying group Ms Taylor was fighting in court, I think.

[ancianita]

11. Absolutely disgusting.

[greenjar_01]

12. Yeah, I agree, that's a pretty misleading headline

[SoFlaBro]

14. The headline makes it appear that there were murder indictments

But that is not the case.

[BeckyDem]

13. The system is working as it is designed to work.

Make no mistake about it.


RIP Breonna. We will never forget what happened to you.

[Johnny2X2X]

15. You don't just shoot without seeing what you're shooting at

They busted a door down and were shot at because of it, that doesn't excuse shooting random bullets, officers are trained to only shoot what you can see.

[12over]

18. The two inside...

Last edited Wed Sep 23, 2020, 06:32 PM - Edit history (1)

The two inside the house did shoot at what they could see.

The one outside shot at what he couldn't see.

that is why the one outside is being charged and the two inside are not.

[Kali]

32. of course if they were white they would have just been protecting themselves from intruders

but...well, you know.

[Bayard]

19. UPDATE

Several women on the ground, with cop knees on their backs. Handcuffed and hauled off. Cops lining up with batons. Its escalating.

[Duppers]

22. Oh dear, expectations not disappointed. 😖

Fingers crossed that folks don't get seriously hurt.

[dalton99a]

20. Kick

[Duppers]

24. "Putting neighbors in danger"?!!

Staying tuned and hoping things don't become violent this evening.

[Duppers]

26. MSNBC: Jason Johnson

"You can’t go anywhere if you’re Black": Jason Johnson unleashes on cops letting white supremacist militias walk freely.

A frustrated Jason Johnson lamented his exhaustion and sadness that in Louisville, Kentucky, there were militia members who were safer than people of color because of how people of color continue to be treated.

“You know, every time this happens, and this has happened a lot, I always tell myself before I go on air, I’m not going to get pissed Johnson confessed. “And yet today, I can’t help it. I’m so disgusted by this. I’m so disgusted by Daniel Cameron’s performance.”

“This woman got shot in her house! When she was asleep! It’s like Atatiana Jefferson got shot playing video games with her nephew at 2:00 in the morning. Like Botham Jean was eating ice cream and got shot on his couch. If cops bust into my house right now and shot me on the air, what Daniel Cameron basically told America is that that would be legal."

https://www.rawstory.com/2020/09/you-cant-go-anywhere-if-youre-black-jason-johnson-unleashes-on-cops-letting-white-supremacist-militias-walk-freely/


There's so much justifiable anger and rage.

If I were religious, I'd be praying for folks in Louisville tonight.

[Catherine Vincent]

27. Sigh!