Cop shot during protest after officials announce few charges in case
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Wednesday protesters took to the streets and cop was shot during protest. Emotions ran high here at least one police officer was shot, following a day that brought angry response to a prosecutor’s decision to charge only one of the officers involved in the Breonna Taylor shooting.
A Louisville Metro Police officer was shot in downtown Louisville Wednesday night, a department spokesman confirmed. But details were sketchy and it’s unclear why the cop was shot during protest.
An FBI SWAT team is on the scene to help with the officer shot.
On Wednesday, a Kentucky grand jury indicted one of three police officers involved in the incident on charges of wanton endangerment for shooting a gun into a neighboring apartment. Former Louisville police officer Brett Hankison is facing three felony charges. Jonathan Mattingly and Myles Cosgrove, two other officers involved, were not charged.
Man takes officer’s gun, opens fire inside LA police station
Taylor, a 26-year-old ER technician, was killed after officers used a search warrant at her apartment shortly before 1 a.m. on March 13, looking for drugs and cash as part of a larger narcotics investigation connected to her former boyfriend. She was shot six times.
Here are the latest updates in the case:
- A group gathered in Jefferson Square Park, the heart of the protests for the past 125 days, before the decision was announced. Protesters have since marched from downtown Louisville. Some have been arrested after police formed a line, stopping protesters, on Bardstown Road in the Highlands neighborhood.
- Attorney General Daniel Cameron said his investigation determined that Jonathan Mattingly and Myles Cosgrove were justified in their actions and that they did announce themselves as police officers before the shooting.
- Brett Hankison, who was fired in June, is facing three felony counts and bail was set at $15,000. A warrant has been issued for his arrest.
- The mayor of Louisville imposed a 72-hour curfew on Wednesday. Police have cut off access to downtown and set up barricades and fences around buildings.
- Six Louisville police officers – including the three who fired their weapons into Breonna Taylor’s apartment – remain under internal investigation into whether officers broke department policies.
- Last week, the city of Louisville announced a $12 million settlement with Breonna Taylor’s family, which included a host of police reforms.
Biden urges peace following Breonna Taylor decision
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said Americans “must continue to speak Breonna Taylor’s name” following the decision by a Louisville, Kentucky grand jury not to indict any of the police officers on homicide charges involved in her March 13 shooting death.
“In the wake of her tragic death, we mourn with her mother, family, and community and ask ourselves whether justice could be equally applied in America,” Biden said in a statement issued after a campaign visit to Charlotte, N.C., with Black business leaders. “I know for so many people today’s decision does not answer that call.”
Biden urged protesters to be peaceful and patient as they await the results of an ongoing federal investigation. Earlier, he told reporters that violent protests threatened to “sully” Taylor’s memory.
At the White House, President Donald Trump did not directly address the grand jury’s decision but instead quoted Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron’s statement that justice “does not fit the mold of public opinion” and that “justice sought by violence” is not justice but revenge.
“I think that was a terrific statement,” Trump told reporters, adding that Cameron, who spoke at the Republican National Convention last month, “is doing a fantastic job.” He ignored questions from reporters seeking more direct comment on the grand jury’s decision.
– Ledyard King and Michael Collins
Former cop Brett Hankison booked in jail, released half an hour later
Brett Hankison, the sole Louisville police officer facing charges in the case, was booked at the Shelby County Detention Center and released about half an hour later, the jail confirmed.
Hankison was arrested Wednesday after being indicted on three counts of first-degree wanton endangerment and booked at 4:30 p.m., the detention center confirmed. He was released at 5:02 p.m.
The judge had set a $15,000 cash bond for Hankison.
– Emma Austin
Breonna Taylor’s family dismayed by decision: ‘I’m mad as hell’
At the youth homeless shelter in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where she works as a residential adviser, Taylor’s cousin Tawanna Gordon watched with tears in her eyes as Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron announced that only one of the officers was indicted by a grand jury — but not for killing Taylor.
“I’m not surprised,” Gordon, 45, told The Courier Journal on Wednesday, minutes after Cameron’s press conference ended. “But I’m mad as hell because nothing’s changing.”
Taylor’s cousin said the family will continue to fight for justice while hoping the pending FBI investigation will reach the same conclusion they’ve reached: that Taylor’s civil rights were violated.
“They failed you, they failed me,” Taylor’s sister, Juniyah Palmer, wrote on Twitter after Cameron’s announcement. “Breonna i am so sorry … i don’t know what to do.”
Tamika Palmer, Taylor’s mother, left the attorney general’s press conference without talking to media. And her attorneys said she would have no comment Wednesday.
– Tessa Duvall and Jonathan Bullington
Gov. Beshear calls on attorney general to release evidence of cop shot
Gov. Andy Beshear called on Attorney General Daniel Cameron on Wednesday to release evidence from his office’s investigation into the fatal police shooting of Breonna Taylor online.
“Everyone can and should be informed and those that are currently feeling frustration, feeling hurt, they deserve to know more,” Beshear said at a press conference Wednesday. “I trust Kentuckians. They deserve to see the facts for themselves.”
Breonna Taylor protests continue as Louisville under curfew
Beshear also delivered a message to protesters promising to listen as people make their voices heard and be “a partner moving forward.” Still, he urged protesters not to engage in violence noting that militia groups had been spotted walking in downtown Louisville.
“I will never, ever tell someone not to give voice to their truth or to speak out for what they believe in,” he said. “So, be safe and the eyes of the world are on Louisville. People will hear.”
‘We are in shock’: Protesters start marching in Louisville
Almost immediately after hearing the charges, protesters began moving together away from Jefferson Square Park, which has been the heart of the protests, toward Broadway. Several police vehicles trailed closely behind. The National Guard was also present.
Protesters approached police and yelled at them at Fourth and Broadway but continued their march, moving east on Kentucky Street.
Stachelle Bussey, founder of local nonprofit The Hope Buss, said it took her a minute to come out of shock after hearing the charges against Hankison announced.
“I thought more was going to come,” Bussey said. “I was like, ‘OK, they’re going to say some other stuff.’ … They turned the live off, and I realized that was it.”
“He was just charged (with) wanton endangerment — not even for shooting into her apartment, but for shooting into other apartments. We are in shock.”