FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) — Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron has announced the decision in the deadly shooting of Breonna Taylor by Louisville police Wednesday.
A grand jury has announced that none of the officers involved in Breonna Taylor's death will be indicted for homicide charges, including murder or manslaughter.
Instead, one of the officers, Brett Hankison, is being charged with three counts of first-degree wanton endangerment, a Class D felony. The felony is punishable of one to five years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000 for each count.
"The loss of Ms. Breonna Taylor’s life is a tragedy, and our office has worked tirelessly since receiving the case in mid-May to review all of the evidence in preparation for presenting it to an independent Grand Jury," said Attorney General Cameron. "The Grand Jury determined that there is no evidence to support a criminal violation of state law caused Ms. Taylor's death. The Grand Jury found that there was sufficient evidence to indict Detective Hankison for wanton endangerment for firing his weapon outside a sliding glass door and through a bedroom window, with some bullets traveling through that apartment and entering the apartment next door while three residents were at home."
The counts involve endangering Breonna Taylor's neighbors, not what happened at her home.
A cash bond for Hankison was set at $15,000. The other officers involved in Taylor's death, Jon Mattingly and Myles Cosgrove, were not indicted.
Taylor, a 26-year-old EMT, was shot and killed by police officers conducting a no-knock search warrant at her home in
March. The LMPD fired one of the officers involved, Brett Hankison, in June, saying he violated procedures by showing "extreme indifference to the value of human life." The other officers involved in the case — Jon Mattingly and Myles Cosgrove — have been placed on administrative reassignment.
However, protesters across the state have said it's not enough and have continuously called for the arrest of the officers involved in Taylor's shooting.
Gov. Andy Beshear said he is prepared to deploy the Kentucky National Guard and Kentucky State Police to Louisville after the Breonna Taylor decision if needed.
