Cincinnati Herald Report
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – A Kentucky grand jury Wednesday indicted one police officer on three counts of wanton endangerment in the Breonna Taylor Case. Officer Bret Hankinson’s indictment is for shooting into neighboring apartments. The grand jury did not charge the two other officers involved with the raid that led to the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor on March 13, 2020
The Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron explained the reasoning behind the indicted after the grand jury’s decision was released to the news media. Neither the grand jury nor the presiding judge did not further explain why the charges were limited to wanton endangerment.
The Urban League of Southwestern Greater Ohio released a statement stating it stands with the Breonna Taylor family in seeking justice and holding all those responsible in the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylors.
President and CEO Eddie Koen remarked, “We live in a world where a Black woman, sleeping, posing no threat, can be killed without criminal culpability. All of the reforms and gestures continue to result in Pyrrhic victories for our communities. The one reform that we need is criminal accountability of the bad actors in policing. It undermines all of the work and special task forces around this country of those trying to get this right -including the institution of policing itself. We have seen too many cases of intentional, reckless, or negligent murder of Black people. There is no denying that there are instances where use-of-force is justified; this is another clear case where it is not. This is a devastating assault on the work and credibility of the majority of us who support safety and racial equity.”
Since the national protest over police brutality and systemic racism began in late May, Louisville has banned no-knock warrants, fired one of the officers involved, implemented policy reforms, and settled a civil suit with Breonna’s family. But the City of Louisville failed to hold those responsible for her death accountable. Despite overwhelming evidence in this case and the nationwide cry for swift justice, Cameron slow-walked this investigation.