Mayor of Louisville Greg Fischer has released the files on the investigation of the police shooting that took Breonna Taylor’s life. The file which contains hundreds of pages was released on Wednesday after a state court-mandated Attorney General Daniel Cameron to make 15 hours of audio from the grand jury hearing of the shooting accessible to the public.
“After the decision of the Grand Jury which was announced by Attorney General Daniel Cameron, we felt it was important to also release the Public Integrity Unit files,” Mayor Fischer said. “The Grand Jury proceedings which were released last week a large part of the content of the PIU files. Some of the contents are quite painful and traumatic.”
The files which are up to thousands of pages contain body camera video, interview transcripts, investigative letters, search warrants, audio and video of interviews, court filings, personnel files, and jail cells. The police department said that some of the information has been redacted, withheld, or blurred for the purpose of privacy.
Breonna Taylor was shot by police officers in March during a drug bust. Her death had led to months of riots and unrest in different states as people took up the fight against racial injustice. The Mayor stated that the files have been sent to the department’s professional standard unit for more investigation. The unit’s recommendations will be sent to the chief of the LMPD.
The grand jury did not indict any officers involved in the botched narcotics raid on charges connected with her death. One officer faces charges for firing into an adjacent occupied apartment.
The grand jury did not find any of the officers involved in the shooting guilty or culpable for Breonna’s death. Ex-detective Brett Hankinson was charged with three counts of careless endangerment for shooting blindly into the apartment. Detective Myles Cosgrove, who fired the fatal shot, and Sergeant Jonathan Mattingly were not found culpable for Taylor’s death.
The police officers informed officials that they were carrying out a drug bust which they had a warrant for. They told investigators that they knocked before barging into the apartment with a battering ram that knocked the door off its hinges on March 13, the day of the shooting. Kenneth Walker III, Taylor’s boyfriend, and his counselor told the court that Kenneth had fired a shot because he didn’t know the police were at the door. His shot had hit Sergeant Mattingly in the leg and the officers had fired 32 rounds, which caused Taylor’s death.
The city of Louisville stated on September 15 that the family will receive a settlement of $12 million for their wrongful death lawsuit. Police reforms to avoid a future recurrence of the March 13 incident will also be made.
Meanwhile, the Minnesota National Guard is being prepared to assist peacemaking efforts following the release of Derek Chauvin, the ex-police officer that knelt of George Floyd’s neck in the viral nine-minute video making rounds on social media. Derek Chauvin has been released after posting a $1 million bond.
“We are only being cautious of the safety of citizens of Minnesota,” Governor Tim Walz said. “We have asked the National Guard in Minnesota to get ready in helping to keep our streets safe for all.”
Walt said 100 state troopers, 100 soldiers, and 75 conservation officers are being prepared to take over in case of a breakout of riots following the announcement of Chauvin’s release. Protesters converged to match downtown in protest of the development. There have been different posts on social media urging others to join the protests.
Derek Chauvin was charged with second and third-degree murder and manslaughter for his role in the death of George Floyd on May 25. He was released from Hennepin Country Jail on Wednesday on bail after spending months in police custody.
Source: foxnews.com
