Rita Osakwe
A former U.S. police officer involved in the death of Breonna Taylor has been indicted by a grand jury. Sgt. Brett Hankison was on Wednesday indicted on three counts of wanton endangerment in her death.
Taylor died from gunfire by cops during a raid on her home in March. The warrant used to search her home was connected to a suspect who did not live there, and no drugs were found inside.
Other police officers involved in the raid- Sgt. John Mattingly and Det. Myles Cosgrove- were not criminally charged by the grand jury.
At a news conference, state Attorney General Daniel Cameron said Hankison and the two other officers who entered Taylor’s apartment announced themselves before entering the apartment.
“According to Kentucky law, the use of force by Officers Mattingly and Cosgrove was justified to protect themselves. This justification bars us from pursuing criminal charges in Miss Breonna Taylor’s death.” He added that the FBI is still investigating potential violations of federal law in the case.
Taylor’s death, along with the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis last spring, spurred the protest-driven movement to reform police organizations in the US.
For months, protesters criticized the length of the investigation and demanded the arrests of all officers involved. The long-awaited charges against Hankison, were immediately criticized by demonstrators who had demanded more serious counts and the arrests of the three officers involved in the shooting.
Anticipating unrest following Wednesday’s decision, Louisville’s mayor has imposed a curfew from 9 pm to 6:30am EST for the coming days.
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