SECOND GRAND JUROR CRITICIZES PROCEEDINGS IN TAYLOR INVESTIGATION

Two say they were limited in charges they could consider

A second person who served on the Breonna Taylor grand jury is criticizing Kentucky’s attorney general for the way the proceedings were conducted.

The anonymous statement released Thursday reiterated another grand juror’s earlier publicized complaint that the panel was only able to consider endangerment charges against one officer for shooting into Taylor’s neighbor’s apartment.

The first grand juror, who has also remained anonymous, won a court fight this week to address the public about the secret proceedings.

In Thursday’s statement, released by Louisville attorney Kevin Glogower, the second grand juror said they agree “wholeheartedly with the statement released by anonymous grand juror #1.”

The first grand juror said they wanted to consider other charges against the officers, but were told “there would be none because the prosecutors didn’t feel they could make them stick.“

The jurors’ statements contradict Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron’s assertion that the grand jury “agreed” the officers who shot Taylor were justified in returning fire after they were shot at by Taylor’s boyfriend. The first grand juror said the panel “didn’t agree that certain actions were justified.”

Taylor, a Black emergency medical technician, was shot multiple times on

March 13 by officers serving a narcotics warrant. Her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, said he fired his gun when officers entered because he thought an intruder was breaking in. No drugs or cash were found at Taylor’s home.

Cameron announced on Sept. 23 that none of the three officers who fired shots at Taylor’s apartment were charged by the grand jury in her death. The 12-member panel charged one officer, Brett Hankison, with wanton endangerment for shooting into a nearby apartment.

Meanwhile, a Louisville Police major who oversaw the unit that sent officers to Taylor’s home is the subject of an internal police investigation.

The department’s Professional Standards Unit opened an investigation this week into Maj. Kimberly Burbrink, the commander of the Criminal Interdiction Division, the Courier Journal reported. Burbrink has been placed on administrative reassignment.

The department declined to answer questions about the probe of Burbrink, which was initiated at the request of acting Chief Yvette Gentry.

The newspaper reported that the department’s investigative file released this month included a report accusing Burbrink of “pressuring ” and “cross-examining ” investigators who were probing the shooting.

Burbrink was allowed to attend a May video call to update department leaders about the Taylor case, even though investigators “voiced concern” about her presence on the call.

The report said when investigators pointed out “inconsistencies” in Hankison’s statement to investigators after the shooting, Burbrink “took opposition with investigators and requested investigators to list the inconsistencies.”

Hankison was fired in June and faces three counts of wanton endangerment for shooting into Taylor’s neighbor’s apartment.