Protesters March in Louisville Following Grand Jury Decision in Breonna Taylor Case

3 年前

Demonstrators marched from the front of the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections on Wednesday, September 23, following a grand jury’s decision to indict one of three officers involved in the shooting death of Breonna Taylor.

Former Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) Officer Brett Hankison was charged with three counts of wanton endangerment in the first degree. Hankison’s bond was set at $15,000. Hankison was fired from the police force on June 23 for his role in the shooting death of Taylor.

Sgt Jonathan Mattingly and detective Myles Cosgrove, the two other officers who fired their weapons while trying to serve a search warrant on Taylor’s apartment in the early hours of March 13, were not charged.

Jefferson Circuit Judge Annie O’Connell read the grand jury’s decision on Wednesday afternoon as demonstrators calling for justice gathered around speakers outside the Louisville Metro Police Department.

The LMPD declared a state of emergency on Monday in preparation for the grand jury announcement and canceled officers’ vacation and planned leave “until further notice,” reports said.

Six Louisville officers were under investigation for the death of Breonna Taylor, the 26-year-old emergency medical technician fatally shot in her home by LMPD during a raid in March.

The City of Louisville agreed on September 15 to pay Taylor’s family $12 million and reform police practices as part of a settlement.

Protesters marched through locked-down streets and business owners in downtown Louisville boarded up storefronts ahead of the announcement.

Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer put a 72-hour curfew in place for Louisville and LMPD interim Chief Robert Schroeder confirmed that Kentucky National Guard members would be present following the announcement. Credit: Brendan Gutenschwager via Storyful