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A Kentucky grand jury has indicted one former officer in the March shooting death of Breonna Taylor.
Det. Brett Hankison has been charged with three counts of first-degree wanton endangerment, according to an ABC News report. Officers Myles Cosgrove and Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly were not indicted.
Wanton endangerment carries a sentence of up to five years if the suspect is found guilty.
Taylor, 26, was killed in her apartment by police officers executing a “no-knock” warrant as part of a narcotics investigation, WSB-TV reported.
Her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker III, was also in the apartment at the time and reportedly opened fire when police burst through the door, apparently thinking they were intruders. Police allegedly returned fire, killing Taylor.
No drugs were found in the apartment.
Walker has filed a lawsuit against state and local officials in connection with Taylor’s death.
The Hankinson indictment was announced during a Wednesday press conference.
Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron vowed to “vigorously prosecute” the criminal charges against Hankinson, according to CNN, adding that the other two officers were “justified in their use of force” because Walker had fired first.
Cameron also announced the creation of a task force that will “review the process for securing and executing search warrants in Kentucky,” CNN reported. The task force will be made up of members of the public, as well as law enforcement, elected officials, attorneys and “representatives from the judiciary.”
“I believe having a top-to-bottom review of the search warrant process is necessary to determine if changes are required and establish the best practices,” he said, according to CNN.
An FBI crime lab determined it was Cosgrove who fired the shot that killed Taylor, CNN reported.
“Six bullets struck Ms. Taylor and … only one shot was fatal,” Cameron said.
Taylor’s death spawned protests for racial justice across the country, some of which have led to class action lawsuits alleging police brutality against demonstrators.
To prepare for the possibility of further protests after the Hankinson indictment was announced, Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer announced a curfew for Jefferson County from 9 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. for 72 hours, beginning Wednesday night, NPR reported.
The mayor also had declared a preemptive state of emergency Tuesday in anticipation of possible protests.
Law enforcement shut down car traffic in areas of downtown Louisville to car traffic, saying they wanted to ensure the safety of possible demonstrators, as well as those who live and work there, according to NPR.
Following the announcement of the Hankinson indictment, Taylor family attorney Ben Crump tweeted that while it wasn’t the outcome the family was hoping for, it brought them closer to getting justice for Taylor, CNN reported.
“Jefferson County grand jury indicts former ofc. Brett Hankison Breonna Taylor’s death, with 3 counts of Wanton Endangerment in 1st Degree! We urge @kyoag to accept this recommendation ASAP. While not fully what we wanted, this brings us closer to #JusticeForBreonnaTaylor.”
Taylor’s family recently reached a settlement in which the city of Louisville agreed to pay her estate $12 million and implement reforms at the police department.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky also responded to the Hankinson indictment with a statement via Twitter.
“LMPD Detective Brett Hankison was charged with three counts of first-degree wanton endangerment for shooting blindly into apartments neighboring Breonna Taylor’s. No charges were filed against LMPD Officers Myles Cosgrove and Jonathan Mattingly. None of the charges against Detective Hankison were directly related to Breonna Taylor’s death. This is the latest miscarriage of justice in our nation’s long history of denying that Black lives matter. Once again, a prosecutor has refused to hold law enforcement accountable for killing a young Black woman.
“Breonna Taylor should still be alive today.”
What do you think about this indictment? Let us know in the comment section below.
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