The grand jury audio evidence in the Breonna Taylor case revealed Friday that, according to a Lieutenant; one of the neighbors did not hear the police identify themselves. Another neighbor has changed his story at various intervals; saying that he heard officers yell “Police!” or that he heard them identify themselves only in passing or that he did not hear them identify themselves at all.
Although another cop did testify that a neighbor did in fact hear the officer. This is critical because if police did not identify themselves then Breonna’s boyfriend had every right to defend himself. “Officers knocked six times and announced themselves before breaking in Taylor’s door while serving a search warrant in March”, Sgt. John Mattingly told ABC News and the Louisville Courier-Journal.
“We would have either served the ‘no-knock’ warrant or we would have done the normal thing we do, which is five to 10 seconds; to not give people time to formulate a plan, not give people time to get their senses, so they have an idea of what they’re doing,” Mattingly said. “If that had happened, Breonna Taylor would be alive.”
Officer Brett Hankison Is The Only Officer Indicted
Nonetheless, no one was directly charged in the killing of Breonna. However grand jurors indicted fired officer Brett Hankison on three counts of first degree wanton endangerment. He’s accused of risking the safety of three of Breonna’s neighbors, when the stray bullets entered the home. The panel asked about additional charges, and prosecutors told them there would not be any because they “didn’t feel they could make them stick”, according to the juror.
In an interview Wednesday, Mattingly denied accusations that Taylor’s death was an example of police officers’ disregard for Black lives. “This is not relatable to George Floyd. This is nothing like it. It’s not an Ahmaud Arbery. It’s nothing like it, Mattingly said in a news press conference. “These are two totally different type incidences. It’s not a race thing, like people want to try to make it to be”.
Update: 1/30/22 Jury Selection Begins In Breeona Taylor Case
Jury selection for the last trial left in Breeona’s case began on January 28. However; no officers were charged for the death of the 26-year-old Black woman.