Breonna Taylor shooting: As Brett Hankison found not guilty, here's what happened to Jonathan Mattingly and Myles Cosgrove
Breonna Taylor's family is left searching for answers after the only police officer to face charges for the raid that killed her in her own home was cleared by a jury on Thursday, March 3.
45-year-old Brett Hankison was found not guilty on all three counts of wanton endangerment for firing gunshots that reportedly ripped into a neighboring apartment. Hankison was not charged in connection with Taylor's demise as he was the only one of three officers who did not fire bullets that killed her. The other two officers -- Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly and Detective Myles Cosgrove -- shot Taylor and were at risk of facing murder charges. However, they were never indicted and sparked concerns that Hankison was being scapegoated for the tragedy.
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What happened to Sgt. Jon Mattingly and officer Myles Cosgrove?
Hankison was assisting Mattingly and Cosgrove as a K9 handler on the night of March 13, 2020. Taylor's boyfriend Kenneth Walker opened fire at the officers when the door was broken down, prompting them to return fire. Hankison, Mattingly, and Cosgrove fired a total of 32 rounds, with six of the shots fired by Mattingly and Cosgrove fatally striking Taylor. Meanwhile, Walker was left uninjured.
Daniel Cameron, the attorney general of Kentucky, did not charge Mattingly and Cosgrove last year. Sparking widespread outrage, Cameron said in a declaration that both officers were justified in returning fire against Walker and noted how he had shot Mattingly in the leg. Nonetheless, Cosgrove and Hankison were fired from the Louisville Metro Police Department, along with Detective Joshua Jaynes, who reportedly obtained the no-knock search warrant. Meanwhile, Mattingly resigned from the force.
WATCH: Former Louisville Metro police officer Brett Hankison became emotional when talking about the moment Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly was shot during the raid at Breonna Taylor's apartment. @LawCrimeNetwork pic.twitter.com/kBguDQ2URS
— Law&Crime Network (@LawCrimeNetwork) March 2, 2022
An attorney for Cosgrove said during a hearing on Monday, February 28, that he had advised his client not to testify in Hankison's trial owing to other ongoing investigations. Attorney Jarrod Beck told Cosgrove to invoke his Fifth Amendment right after receiving "no reasonable assurances" that his client would not become a "target" of the prosecutor's probe. Judge Ann Bailey Smith agreed and ruled that Cosgrove is an unavailable witness, ABC affiliate WHAS 11 reported.
In December 2021, the Louisville Metro Police Department Merit Board upheld Myles Cosgrove's termination from the department following his involvement in the raid. Former Interim LMPD Chief Yvette Gentry said in his termination letter that Cosgrove had failed to properly identify a target when he fired 16 times into Taylor's apartment. An investigation found that Cosgrove had fired the fatal shot that killed Taylor, but he wasn't charged with her death. Former LMPD Sgt. Mattingly also invoked his Fifth Amendment right to not be a part of Hankison's trial.
In a video deposition, former Louisville Metro police officer Myles Cosgrove said that he volunteered to assist in the execution of a search warrant on Breonna Taylor's apartment. Cosgrove is the ex-officer who fatally shot Taylor. @LawCrimeNetwork pic.twitter.com/ilMMr4emhh
— Law&Crime Network (@LawCrimeNetwork) March 1, 2022
According to WHAS 11, Cosgrove worked in LMPD's 4th, 6th and 8th divisions before transferring to narcotics in 2016. He has had commendations for his work and training during his time with narcotics and other divisions. Former police chief Steve Conrad lauded Cosgrove for de-escalating several dangerous situations and having a “strong work ethic, dedication, perseverance” combined with a positive attitude.
Meanwhile, Mattingly joined LMPD in 2000 and worked in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 7th divisions as well as the now-defunct VIPER unit before joining narcotics in 2016. The VIPER unit was a special outfit focused on tackling the city's most violent crimes but was dissolved after three years.
Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly – one of the officers involved in the police killing of #BreonnaTaylor – said “I know we did the legal, moral and ethical thing that night.”
— AJ+ (@ajplus) September 22, 2020
In an email to around 1,000 officers, he called protesters “thugs” and said “it is good versus evil.” pic.twitter.com/xPDhwy9uuF
Mattingly has also received several letters of appreciation for his professionalism and commitment to his job. "Thank you for going above and beyond the call of duty," former chief Conrad said in a letter to Mattingly and other members of the narcotics division. "I appreciate your willingness to put forth the extra effort to achieve our goals on a daily basis."