A grand jury returned their findings on Wednesday afternoon in the shooting death of Breonna Taylor by Louisville, KY Metro Police. She was a black 26-year-old EMT shot and killed in her home as police attempted to serve a search warrant. At this writing, Antifa and Black Lives Matter are turning a peaceful protest in Louisville into a violent conflict.
A Tragic Misunderstanding
Like so many tragedies, this shooting death began legally, as police attempted to execute a search warrant for Taylor’s apartment and four other homes shortly after midnight on March 13. Police suspected Breonna was receiving drugs and drug money on her ex-boyfriend’s behalf. They had seen him collecting a package at her home, and then driving to a known drug house.
The officers said they knocked on her door and announced themselves (this was corroborated by a witness). Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, says he and Breonna didn’t know who knocked. When police broke down the front door, Walker shot his firearm. He hit one of the officers in the thigh, severing his femoral artery. The wounded officer and three others returned fire, striking Breonna five times.
None were found criminally liable in Breonna’s death, but Officer Brett Hankison is being arrested on three felony counts of wanton endangerment, which carries a penalty of one to five years in prison, because Hankison fired 10 shots into Breonna’s apartment. Although none of his bullets struck her, errant shots penetrated a neighboring home.
- The three charges against Hankison state that “under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to human life, he wantonly” fired his gun into neighboring apartments.
- The grand jury ruled that Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly and Detective Myles Cosgrove were justified in their use of force.
Breonna’s neighbors who were affected by the gunshots filed a lawsuit against the police for failing to use “sound reasonable judgment” when firing “blind shots into multiple homes.” Chelsey Napper’s home was struck several times. She was pregnant at the time and also had another child in the home.
Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron (above) spoke to the hurt in the community after the ruling. “My heart breaks for the death of Miss Taylor. Criminal law is not meant to respond to every sorrow and grief, and that is true here… Not everyone will be satisfied with the charges we’ve reported today.”
Cameron also said he would create a task force to review the process of securing, reviewing and executing search warrants in Kentucky. It will be a “top-to-bottom review of the search warrant process.”
The Taylor family has already been awarded $12 million in a settlement with the City of Louisville.
Why this Matters: This is a heart-breaking tragedy, which the family’s lawyer and the mob and their masters are using to accuse the nation of systemic racism. When speaking about the grand jury ruling, Taylor family lawyer Benjamin Crump said the charges should have been “wanton murder” and that Breonna was denied justice. He said that the US has been a racist nation since what he believes is our founding in 1619, when the first slaves were brought to these shores.
Protestors and police began clashing following the verdict, with people hurling projectiles and setting fires. Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer announced a curfew from 9 p.m. Wednesday until 6:30 a.m. Thursday, anticipating problems ahead. Most of the businesses in the downtown area have been boarded-up and police have closed off the streets. The National Guard is on stand-by.
How to Pray: For law enforcement officers to prevail over profane men and women. Pray for police to be protected. Ask God to comfort the family and friends. May God pour a calm over this situation.
1 Tim. 1:9-10 – Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;
Praying Citizen 
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