Breonna Taylor’s family and their lawyers have sharply criticized the Kentucky attorney general for failing to lay charges against police officers for his death, asking him on Friday to release transcripts of the grand jury proceeding while vowing to continue their protests until the officers are charged.
Tamika Palmer, Taylor’s mother, said in a statement read by a relative at a rally in Louisville, Ky., That she did not expect justice from Attorney General Daniel Cameron.
Taylor, a black woman who worked in a medical emergency, has been shot and killed by white officers several times after her boyfriend shot them, authorities said. He said he didn’t know who was coming in and opened fire in self-defense, injuring an officer. Police entered on a warrant linked to a suspect who did not live there, and no drugs were found inside.
Cameron said on Wednesday that the investigation showed officers acted in self-defense. The grand jury laid three counts of gratuitous endangerment against sacked agent Brett Hankison for shooting at Taylor’s neighbour’s house.
Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron said on Wednesday there would be no charges against Louisville police for the murder of Breonna Taylor in March. Only one of the three men involved, who has since been forcibly discharged, has been indicted and faces three counts of “gratuitous endangerment” for shooting at Taylor’s neighbor’s house. After the grand jury’s decision was released, protests erupted in Louisville. Today, host Josh Bloch speaks to USA Today political reporter Phillip M. Bailey about the implications of the grand jury ruling and why Taylor’s name continues to be a rallying cry for those fighting against police brutality in the United States. 21:02
Protests have been held locally since Taylor’s gunshot death in March, expanding nationwide after George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis in May.
The FBI is still investigating whether Taylor’s civil rights have been violated. But the burden of proof in such cases is very high, with prosecutors having to prove that officers knew they were acting illegally and made the deliberate decision to cause someone’s death.
Since Taylor’s murder, Louisville has taken some steps to address the concerns of protesters. In addition to the officer who was fired and then charged, three others have been commissioned. Authorities banned arrest warrants and hired a black woman as permanent police chief – a first for the city.
Louisville also agreed to more police reforms by settling a lawsuit that included $ 12 million for Taylor’s family. But many expressed frustration at not having done more.
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