“The Justice System Failed Breonna Taylor”: Reactions Pour In To Grand Jury Indictment

Public figures and advocacy groups are reacting strongly to a grand jury’s decision to charge one officer involved in Taylor’s case, but not in connection with her death.

Three women huddle together after the grand jury in the Taylor case indicts one officer | Reuters/ USA Today Network
Three women huddle together after the grand jury in the Taylor case indicts one officer | Reuters/ USA Today Network

Advocacy groups and activists expressed disappointment and frustration Wednesday after one cop involved in Breonna Taylor’s case was charged, but not in connection with her death.

Former Detective Brett Hankison was charged with three counts of wanton endangerment in the first degree for shooting into a neighboring apartment the night Taylor was killed. The other two officers involved, Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly and Detective Myles Cosgrove, have not been charged.

Taylor, a 26-year-old EMT, was shot and killed by police in her apartment in Louisville, KY in March. Her death gained national attention during the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests that have swept the country, as demonstrators demanded justice for Taylor.

Hankison was fired in June for violating the department’s policy on the use of deadly force.

After the Jefferson County grand jury announced Hankison’s charges, several public figures, elected officials, and advocacy groups voiced their disappointment in the decision.

Protesters took to the streets shortly after the indictment was announced, and police lined the streets in preparation.

The NAACP released a statement saying, “The injustice we’re witnessing at this moment can be sensed throughout the nation.”

“The justice system failed Breonna Taylor and, as such, failed us,” the NAACP wrote. “From the officers’ ill-informed conduct to the city official’s delayed response, their actions have discredited their pledge and responsibility to the greater community.”

Others also have emotional reactions to the indictment, with some calling it a “slap on the wrist.”