LOUISVILLE, Ky. — One of three officers involved in the Louisville drug operation that led to the police shooting death of Breonna Taylor in March 2020 was indicted Wednesday on criminal charges.
Former officer, Brett Hankison, whom the department fired in June, was indicted on three counts of wanton endangerment in the first degree, a Jefferson County grand jury announced Wednesday. Neither the grand jury nor the presiding judge elaborated on the charges.
A warrant has been issued for Hankison’s arrest and a bond is set at $15,000 cash, FOX News reported.
No charges were announced against the two other officers involved in the raid — Myles Cosgrove and Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly, who was shot in the leg and underwent surgery after the police operation that resulted in Taylor’s death.
“Regardless of the outcome today or Wednesday, I know we did the legal, moral, and ethical thing that night,” Mattingly said in the email Tuesday, Law Officer reported. “It’s sad how the good guys are demonized, and criminals are canonized.”
Most people gathered in Jefferson Square in #louisville still digesting the news regarding #BreonnaTaylor. pic.twitter.com/YyQYaXvuov
— Jeff Paul (@Jeff_Paul) September 23, 2020
The indictment was announced 194 days after Taylor, 26, was shot by officers who entered her home using a no-knock warrant during a narcotics investigation on March 13 after receiving gunfire from her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker.
An investigation found that the bullets fired by Hankison traveled into the neighboring apartment while three residents were home – a male, a pregnant female and a child, Attorney General Daniel Cameron said at a press conference after the grand jury’s announcement. Hankinson was not charged in Taylor’s death, but rather for endangering her neighbors’ lives.
Hankinson faces up to five years on each of three counts if convicted, Cameron said.
“The decision before my office as the special prosecutor, in this case, was not to decide if the loss of Ms. Taylor’s life was a tragedy. The answer to that is unequivocally ‘yes,'” Cameron said. “I understand that Breonna Taylor’s death is part of a national story, but the facts and evidence in this case are different than others…
“If we simply act on emotion or outrage, there is no justice,” Cameron said. “Mob justice is not justice. Justice sought by violence is not justice. It just becomes revenge.”
Based on interviews with neighbors, Cameron’s office determined that the officers announced themselves before forcing entry into the apartment occupied by Taylor and Walker. Cameron said Mattingly and Cosgrove were justified under Kentucky law in their use of force after being fired upon by Walker and his office will not pursue criminal charges against them, FOX reported.
“According to Kentucky law, the use of force by Mattingly and Cosgrove was justified to protect themselves. This justification bars us from pursuing criminal charges in Miss Breonna Taylor’s death,” Cameron said.
Walker was charged with the attempted murder of a police officer, but local prosecutors later dropped the charge. He told police he heard knocking but didn’t know who was coming into the home and fired in self-defense.
Cameron said FBI ballistics determined that the fatal shot that killed Taylor was fired by Cosgrove.
Immediately after the announcement, people were expressing frustration that the grand jury did not do more.
“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.”
Justice has NOT been served.
Rise UP. All across this country. Everywhere. Rise up for #BreonnaTaylor
— Linda Sarsour (@lsarsour) September 23, 2020
Attorney Ben Crump tweeted that the grand jury indicted Hankison with three counts of wanton endangerment in the first degree “for bullets that went into other apartments but NOTHING for the murder of Breonna Taylor. This is outrageous and offensive!”
Jefferson County Grand Jury indicts former ofc. Brett Hankison with 3 counts of Wanton Endangerment in 1st Degree for bullets that went into other apartments but NOTHING for the murder of Breonna Taylor. This is outrageous and offensive! pic.twitter.com/EarmBAhhuf
— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) September 23, 2020
The warrant used to search Taylor’s home was connected to a suspect who did not live there, and no drugs were found inside. The use of no-knock warrants has since been banned by Louisville’s Metro Council.
However, the Courier-Journal recently published significant details from an internal report written by LMPD after the shooting. It sheds more light on the reasons why they chose to forcibly enter her South End apartment the night she was killed as well as her culpability in the nefarious actions of the primary suspect, Jamarcus Glover.
Brett Hankison, who was fired from Louisville Metro Police in June, was indicted on three counts of wanton endangerment in the first degree.
Hankison was fired from the Louisville Metro Police Department on June 23. A termination letter sent to him by interim Louisville Police Chief Robert Schroeder said the 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 Taylor’s apartment in March.
Hankison, Mattingly, Cosgrove, and the detective who sought the warrant, Joshua Jaynes, were placed on administrative reassignment after the shooting. On Sept. 15, the city of Louisville settled a lawsuit against the three officers brought by Taylor’s mother, Tamika Palmer, agreeing to pay her $12 million and enact police reforms.
