Gage Johnson
Editor-in-Chief
On Wednesday, Sept. 23, it was announced that one of three officers involved in the shooting of Breonna Taylor would be charged. Following the announcement, The Murray State News reached out to students and the Murray community via Facebook for their thoughts.
During the indictment hearing it was announced that the Louisville grand jury charged former detective Brett Hankison on three counts of first-degree wanton endangerment.
This announcement comes after the $12 million settlement that was made on Sept. 15 which also included 12 items of police reform.
The charges against Hankison were made for putting Taylor’s neighbors in danger, as Taylor’s neighbor Chelsey Napper stated in a lawsuit filed in early May that a man was almost struck by a bullet inside the neighboring apartment after shots were “blindly fired” by the officers.
Each of the three wanton endangerment charges carries a sentence of up to five years. His bail is set at $15,000 cash and a warrant has been issued for his arrest. Hankison was fired from the LMPD on June 23 for his involvement in the Taylor shooting.
The other officers involved—Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly and Detective Myles Cosgrove—were not indicted, meaning that no charges were made in direct correlation to Taylor’s shooting.
Murray State student Maddy Lander stated that she was disappointed, but not surprised by the decision the grand jury made to not charge the officers.
“No justice was served here,” Lander said. “We waited six months for her to not get justice. Her family has said they now have no trust in the justice system. I knew as soon as Louisville went into a state of emergency that the outcome was not going to be good for Breonna Taylor.”
Other students shared Lander’s sentiment. Taylor Martin—a student at Murray State—said she is ashamed of the decision by the grand jury and is thinking of Taylor’s family.
“I’m embarrassed to call Kentucky my home,” Martin said. “No property is worth someone’s life. I am praying a little harder for her family tonight. This decision makes my blood boil so I can only imagine what i would be feeling if this were a close friend or family.”
Fellow Murray State student Elina Fochtman, who is from Louisville, echoed Martin’s statement.
“I am very disappointed in my city, especially Mayor Greg Fischer’s response to Breonna Taylor’s death,” Fochtman said. “It is extremely unjust that the three cops that unlawfully broke into Breonna Taylor’s apartment and shot her eight times have not been punished for her death. Breonna Taylor’s death was very eye-opening because I did not realize how corrupt Louisville’s local government was before our cries for justice were smothered by the local government. Mayor Greg Fischer’s lack of accountability while people marched in downtown Louisville for weeks on end was astounding. For Louisville to progress and to have justice for Breonna Taylor we cannot have this type of leadership that supports the systemic racism within our justice department. I believe it is even more astounding that Kentucky’s Attorney General Daniel Cameron, who grew up only an hour away from Louisville in Elizabethtown and now lives in Louisville, has ignored the nation’s call to action to give justice for Breonna Taylor.”
Murray State student Ryan Ackerman also said the law was never on Breonna’s side and it continues to not be.
Meanwhile, John Hlinka said he feels the correct decision was made by the grand jury.
“Based on the facts provided by the special prosecutor the decision seems fair and reasonable,” Hlinka said.
The News will continue to update its readers on the happenings of Taylor’s case and the protests taking place in Louisville. To stay up to date follow The News on Facebook and Twitter.
