RAGE IN LOUISVILLE
Breonna Taylor cops not charged in her death Two officers shot as violent protests explode
Two cops were shot in Louisville, Ky., last night amid protests over a grand jury’s decision not to indict three officers for the killing of Breonna Taylor (left). Only one was charged — because his bullets flew into an apartment next door.
Two Louisville, Ky., police officers were shot Wednesday night amid protests following a grand jury’s decision in the March slaying of Breonna Taylor.
The Kentucky grand jury cleared current and former police officers in the Taylor’s shooting death — indicting only one excop for “wantonly” firing shots into another apartment the night she was killed.
The 12-member panel returned three counts of wanton endangerment in the first degree against former officer Brett Hankison for firing his gun into Taylor’s apartment, sending bullets flying into an occupied neighboring unit.
The decision sparked outrage across the nation and, in Louisville, turned large peaceful protests into violent clashes.
Video posted to social media showed numerous tense standoffs with cops over the course of the chaotic night.
Officers in riot gear fired off flash bangs as protesters hurled water bottles and other small projectiles their way.
Two cops were shot at about 8:30 p.m. in the city’s downtown, as large crowds took to the streets, according to the Louisville Metro Police Department.
Both officers suffered non-lifethreatening injuries, said Robert Schroeder, the LMPD’s interim police chief.
“I am very concerned about the safety of our officers,” Schroeder told reporters Wednesday night.
“Obviously, we’ve had two officers shot tonight. And that is very scary and a very dangerous condition,” he added.
One of the cops was shot in the abdomen, below his bulletproof vest, and was rushed to surgery, the Louisville Courier-Journal reported, citing sources.
The second officer was hit in the thigh, according to the newspaper.
President Trump tweeted Wednesday night that he had spoken with Democratic Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and that they were “prepared to work together.”
“Praying for the two police officers that were shot tonight in Louisville, Kentucky,” Trump tweeted. “The Federal Government stands behind you and is ready to help.”
An LMPD livestream appeared to show the moment gunfire erupted. As fireworks exploded overhead, multiple shots could be heard ringing out, sending officers scrambling to take cover.
“Shots fired! Shots fired!” an officer yells, pointing to a wounded cop. “Right there. Right there, yeah. Officer down,” she continues as sirens wail.
One suspect was taken into custody in connection with the shooting, Schroeder said. He did not offer information as to whether the suspect had been participating in the protests.
Further details were not immediately clear.
Following the shootings, police managed to clear out the crowds and mostly empty the streets by the city’s 9 p.m. curfew.
Taylor, a 26-year-old EMT, was sleeping in her apartment on March 13 when cops — including Hankison, Officer Myles Cosgrove and Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly — burst in and exchanged gunfire with her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker.
Taylor was struck six times — with the fatal bullet fired by Cosgrove — Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron said during
a press conference Wednesday.
Walker, who had a license for the gun, later told investigators he did not realize the intruders were cops and that he was firing in self-defense.
Cameron disputed earlier reports that the officers executed a “no-knock” warrant and said they identified themselves, despite Walker’s claims to the contrary.
“Evidence showed officers knocked and announced their presence at the apartment,” he said.
Cameron said that because
Walker fired first, Cosgrove and Mattingly were “justified in their use of force after having been fired upon.”
Legal experts had already been dubious that the grand jury would return murder indictments — because Walker fired first.
The officers who conducted the botched raid were searching for drugs — although none were found in the apartment.
Hankison, who squeezed off 10 shots, was fired for “wantonly and blindly” firing into Taylor’s apartment.
“Your actions displayed an extreme indifference to the value of human life,” Louisville Police Interim Chief Robert Schroeder wrote in a June termination letter to Hankison.
Taylor’s death outraged local activists but didn’t gain wider attention until early May, when her family filed a wrongful-death lawsuit.
After the police-custody death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25, Taylor’s case became another major rallying cry for worldwide Black Lives Matter protests denouncing racial inequality and police brutality.
The outcry over her death prompted Cameron, a black Republican, to convene a grand jury earlier this month to hear evidence in the case — with the panel meeting at an undisclosed location for security reasons.
On Monday, the Louisville Metro Police Department declared a state of emergency, canceling time off and vacation time for all department personnel “until further notice” in the event the grand-jury decision sparked a new round of unrest.
On Tuesday, police also announced traffic restrictions and street closures in downtown Louisville.
Several local buildings — including City Hall, police headquarters and fiscal court — were closed Wednesday in anticipation of protests following the ruling, and the mayor imposed a 72-hour curfew beginning Wednesday night.