Still No Justice for Breonna Taylor

I have been trying to write this article for two weeks. I wanted it to be accurate and factual. The more I researched and the more I read, the more difficult it became for me to write. My emotions kept me on a non ending up and down swing. I felt angry at a system which has denied Breonna Taylor justice. I felt overwhelmed that this is happening again and again and again. I felt deeply disappointed that after all this time, the justice system still works against people of color. It feels sometimes like cops are in our neighborhoods to herd us around and then abuse us. All the while they know that they will never be held accountable for any mistreatment. They can let their bullets loose, 32 bullets in this case, and no real substantive questions will be asked. Well, I have a few questions and I want a few answers.

On September 23rd, we were supposed to get those answers. That is when Louisville, Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron announced the findings of the grand jury. There were three officers involved in the shooting and of those three only one would be charged. Ex police officer Brett Hankinson was indicted on 3 counts of wanton endangerment. No other indictments would be handed down. Hankinson was fired from the Louisville Metro Police department and now he was being indicted for firing his weapon into the Breonna's neighbors' apartment. Hankinson has already pled not guilty and he even had the gall to ask the judge in his case to allow him to keep his fire arms. He said he has been receiving death threats.

According to AG Cameron the other officers, Detective Jonathan Mattingly and Sgt. Myles Cosgrove would face no charges. The grand jury determined that they both fired their weapons in response to Breonna's boyfriend Kenneth Walker firing on them. Mattingly was shot in the leg during the incident, allegedly by Walker, and is still with the LMPD. Cosgrove is raising funds on a Christian go fund me type page for his retirement. It has been determined by the FBI investigators that it was Cosgrove who fired the shots that killed Breonna.

The question that was not answered was whether the cops needed to be there at all. There are some egregious errors in the way the warrant was obtained. Judge Mary Shaw, who signed the warrant, now states that she was mislead by Detective Joshua Jaynes. Jaynes stated that Breonna had been receiving packages for her ex boyfriend Jarmarcus Glover at her apartment and that the packages may contain drugs or drug money. The postal inspector has now stated that he told the police that Breonna had not been receiving any "suspicious or otherwise" packages addressed to Glover. Glover was the target of the warrants issued and the police were trying to arrest him.

The rub is that the police did arrest him that night at his apartment on Elliot, miles away from Breonna's apartment. At some point that night the warrant for Breonna's apartment on Springfield was changed to a "knock and announce". This brings up a major point of contention. According to the audio released by the grand jury on October 2nd, Cosgrove states that the officers announced themselves and knocked for 2 1/2 minutes before they decided to use the battering ram.

There were 13 ear witnesses who stated that they did not hear the police identify themselves. At the time of the grand jury hearing one of the witnesses changed his original statement and said that he did hear police identify themselves. He is the witness who testified before the grand jury.

By using the battering ram; Breonna Taylor and her boyfriend thought someone was breaking into the apartment. Walker states that Breonna called out several times to ask who was there. Fearing for their lives from intruders, Walker shot one time. Walker who is a licensed firearm owner was protecting himself and Breonna. Cosgrove states that once he heard the shot he knew Mattingly was down so he began to return fire. He claims that the apartment was very dark and he saw bright white flashing lights and thought someone was firing with a long gun or a AR15. I guess they don't undergo any sort of gun training at the LMPD. How could he mistake one hand gun shot for an assault weapon?

There are so many questions revolving around this incident. They are all related to what the cops did and how they acted. The US Department of Justice has been asked to look at the case. They will be tasked with determining if any federal charges should be filed. If not directly for Breonna's murder, maybe they could look into the way in which the warrant was obtained and executed. I don't have much faith in this since the DOJ is headed by Bill Barr; who has said and done many unethical things in other cases. Particularly those involving the current president.

I am left watching the news, reading the papers and listening to the grand jury audiotapes. (15 hours worth) In June, Breonna's Law was signed ending no knock warrants. Her family has received a settlement. The questions remain: Was the warrant obtained legally? Why didn't Daniel Cameron tell the grand jury that they could consider a murder charge?

Breonna Taylor has gone home to take her rest. We are left here to write articles, peacefully protest, keep her name in our hearts and on our lips and to continue to fight for her. I have to believe that one day Breonna will receive justice.