The case of Breonna Taylor’s death, which sparked national outrage and protests for months as protestors demanded the three police officers involved in her death face legal repercussions for their actions, came to an end today as a Kentucky grand jury did not charge Sgt. John Mattingly, Det. Myles Cosgrove, and former detective Brett Hankison with the murder of Breonna Taylor.
Hankison does face one charge of wanton endangerment for shooting into a neighbor’s apartment, for which he faces a $15,000 fine and 1-5 years in prison.
The decision marks a heartbreaking and dissatisfying end to the case for protestors who had taken her death as a rallying cry around which they called for defunding the police and demanding that officers involved in the killing of black people face legal repercussions for their actions, which has often not been the case in America in recent years. Taylor was shot dead while she slept in her boyfriend’s apartment after police broke into the apartment on a mistaken drug warrant, allegedly without announcing themselves, causing her boyfriend to open fire, claiming he believed they were burglars.
The decision not to charge the officers for Taylor’s death was not entirely a surprise. Legal experts have pointed out that because Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, shot first, the officers could claim to be justified in use of force. Additionally, Louisville called a state of emergency yesterday before the announcement, likely anticipating a massive surge of protests following the decision’s announcement.
Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron told reporters, “The decision before my office is not to decide if the loss of Breonna Taylor’s life was a tragedy. The answer to that question is unequivocally yes… I understand that Miss Breanna Taylor’s death has become a part of a national story in conversation. We must also remember the facts and the collection of evidence in this case are different than cases elsewhere in the country. Each is unique and cannot be compared.”
The decision was crushing for Twitter users who have grown accustomed to seeing police killings go legally unpunished. Breonna Taylor, #JusticeForBreonna and #SayHerName trended on Twitter after the decision was made public.
i remember after george zimmerman was acquitted, i felt my faith in my country begin to disintegrate, forcefully. seven years later, that faith has only been eroded further and further. but the faith i do hold is that justice WILL be served one day. just hope it comes sooner.
— allegra frank (@LegsFrank) September 23, 2020
I honestly didn’t anticipate that the worst possible outcome to the Breonna Taylor investigation would be that her murderers would only be accountable for the bullets that didn’t hit her. But here we are.
— Soren Bowie (@Soren_Ltd) September 23, 2020
It is disgusting and heartbreaking that the court saw more value in the walls of other apartments over the life of Breonna Taylor. This is not justice.
— Chasten Buttigieg (@Chasten) September 23, 2020
The neighbors apartment of Breonna Taylor mattered more then Breonna Taylor. That’s fucking crazy.
— SWAGGY C (@SwaggyCTV) September 23, 2020
Protestors were seen sobbing outside of the courthouse, as protests have begun ramping up in response to the decision.
On the ground in Louisville, Ky. for @townhallcom and the protesting crowd just heard the charges the grand jury announced for the Breonna Taylor case. They are not happy at all, some people are crying. pic.twitter.com/DwGcYKyha4
— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) September 23, 2020
Wow.
We are seeing live photos of protesters crying in the street learning of the charges, lack of charges against the three @LMPD officers involved in the raid that killed #BreonnaTaylor pic.twitter.com/3kFtiegs6A
— Marvis Herring (@Marvis_WLKY) September 23, 2020
Source: https://news.knowyourmeme.com/news/internet-mourns-as-one-charge-is-brought-upon-the-officers-who-shot-breonna-taylor