Taylor grand jury recordings expected today

Kentucky judge delayed release so prosecutors could redact witnesses’ personal information

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A Kentucky judge has delayed until Friday the release of secret grand jury proceedings in Breonna Taylor’s killing by police, so that prosecutors can edit out witnesses’ names and personal information.

Audio recordings of the proceedings were originally supposed to be made public Wednesday, but Attorney General Daniel

Cameron’s office asked a Louisville court for a week’s delay to remove details such as witnesses’ addresses and phone numbers.

On Wednesday, Judge Ann Bailey Smith granted a shorter delay, giving the attorney general until noon on Friday.

Cameron’s office sought the delay “in the interest of protection of witnesses, and in particular private citizens named in the recordings,” according to its legal motion Wednesday. The recordings are 20 hours long.

Taylor was shot and killed in her Louisville home by police who were executing a narcotics warrant in March. The grand jury decided this month not to charge any of the police officers involved with her death; instead, one officer was charged with shooting into a neighboring home.

That decision angered many, and protesters took to the streets in Louisville and around the country to demand accountability for her killing, as frustrations spilled over after months of waiting for Cameron’s announcement. Activists and Taylor’s family called for the grand jury file to be released.

Facing questions about the grand jury this week, Cameron acknowledged that he did not recommend homicide charges for the officers involved. Instead, he only recommended one of the officers be indicted for the wanton endangerment of Taylor’s neighbors.