Breonna Taylor shooting: Louisville cops shouldn't have fired, said internal probe but bosses overruled report
Two investigative officers who were assigned to look into the shooting of Breonna Taylor have now revealed that three Louisville police officers involved should not have fired shots into her apartment, according to the initial reports filed by a sergeant. Media reports suggest that there were internal disagreements regarding if the police officers in Taylor's shooting were justified in using deadly force.
A Louisville police investigator wrote in his review that the officers who served the narcotics warrant shouldn't have returned fire when Taylor's boyfriend shot at them in March because it put others in danger. Sergeant Andrew Meyer of the department's Professional Standards Unit observed in his preliminary report on December 4. However, it was revealed that the sergeant was overruled by police leadership who believed that the use of deadly force was justified.
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It was however reported that Meyer's initial findings were supported by his lieutenant, Jeff Artman. Meyer had written, "They took a total of thirty-two shots, when the provided circumstances made it unsafe to take a single shot," and added, "This is how the wrong person was shot and killed." Meyer noted that the target's home layout indicated how unsafe it would be to open fire.
Kenneth Walker, Taylor's boyfriend had shot, and this bullet allegedly hit Sergeant Johnathan Mattingly in the leg. At this time, the sergeant returned fire. However, Meyer yet again points out that the sergeant violated department policy by doing so. The main reason behind Meyer's observation that the sergeant 'should not have taken the shot' was because Walker was not isolated. Kentucky State Attorney General Daniel Cameron however explained why the prosecutor's office did not recommend homicide charges to the grand jury.
He said that since Walker had fired the first shot, Cosgrove and Mattingly were justified in their use of deadly force. Parts of the investigative file were being held from the press as of April, however, now, they have been released and in this, it was noted how former Interim chief Yvette Gentry had written a note to officers in December. In this, she had said Mattingly's actions should be viewed based on his understanding at the time 'after being shot himself'. She also explained that he shot the aggressor that he had identified.
Taylor was shot dead on March 13, 2020, after police officers entered her apartment with a battering ram to serve a warrant to her boyfriend and apprehend him. However, in the resulting fire, she was shot dead. The 26-year-old was an emergency medical worker. The three officers involved in the incident are Jonathan Mattingly, Brett Hankison, and Myles Cosgrove. Mattingly was cleared of violation charges and is retiring on June 1. However, Hankison was fired for violating the use of force policies. He also happens to be the only one who was fired.
The death of Breonna Taylor also sparked the Black Lives Matter protest, and saw participation from huge crowds in Kentucky and countrywide.