One controversial cop, out of the three who kicked in Breonna Taylor’s door, was declared NOT GUILTY of felony wanton endangerment. It didn’t take long after the jury acquitted Officer Brett Hankison before Black Lives Matter protesters took to the streets in anger.
Cop doing his duty
The jury dared to side with former Louisville Metro Police Department detective Brett Hankison. On Thursday, March 3, they acquitted the veteran cop of the three wanton endangerment felony charges he faced after firing blindly through Ms. Taylor’s apartment.
By nightfall, “dozens of protesters took to the streets. A lot of us, honestly, were feeling certain when they came back so quick that we would have a guilty verdict,” said Cheyenne Osuala, a local protester. They were wrong.
That, local BLM supporters say, “wasn’t the verdict those at Jefferson Square wanted to hear.” Everyone agrees the raid was a botched mess. The cop, cleared by a jury, claimed, all along, that he “acted to defend his fellow officers.” Twelve of his peers agreed.
Nobody disputes he fired rounds “through Taylor’s window and sliding glass door that went into a neighboring apartment where three people were present.” That’s life in the big city.
Defense attorney Stewart Mathews continues to insist he was an ordinary cop doing his thankless job. “Justice was done. The verdict was proper and we are thrilled.”
They bypassed the press on the way out the door. Even the stunned prosecutors “said they respected the verdict.” Not like they have a choice. They lost and weren’t about to say another word about it.
Only in Kentucky
Black Lives Matter supporters are feeling marginalized by the acquittal of a cop. Black criminals are the ones supposed to go free. Tyra Walker, co-chair of the Kentucky Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression was astounded.
“Only in Kentucky. Everybody got justice for 2020, but for Kentucky, we can’t even get wanton endangerment charges.”
It all started on March 12, 2020. Narcotics officers were after Taylor’s ex-boyfriend, Jamarcus Glover. They got five separate search warrants. One named Breonna Taylor’s apartment. She had a new boyfriend but police didn’t know that. Jamarcus was such a dangerous dude that the judge gave them a special “no knock” warrant. With one of those, any cop can suddenly kick down your door.
New boyfriend Kenneth Walker III thought he was being whacked by rivals and shot first. “Who are the real criminals and when will receive justice for their crimes?” asks protester Dre Dawson.
“That triggered a volley of fire from the officers, including Hankison.” All three cops missed Walker. Detective Myles Cosgrove shot and killed Ms. Taylor. The problem for Hankison turned out to be the apartment next door.
The one he didn’t know was there when he started shooting. His bullets “entered the neighboring apartment where three people were present.” Cody Etherton, a pregnant “Ms. Napper” and her 5-year-old son. The cop didn’t know about them. Thankfully he didn’t hit anyone.
