Criminal Law Experts Say Police Officers Involved in Breonna Taylor's Death Should Not Be Charged
Millions including Lebron James, Beyonce, and other stars seek justice for Breonna Taylor. However, criminal law experts say that the Police Officers involved should not be charged.
Breonna Taylor, an African-American who works as a medical technician, was fatally killed by Louisville Metro Police Department officers Jonathan Mattingly, Brett Hankison, and Myles Cosgrove on March 13, 2020. Until today, millions are still seeking justice for Taylor, including Lebron James, Beyonce, and other stars.
However, seven experienced Louisville defense lawyers not involved in the case said that the three Police Officers should not be charged with murder or manslaughter according to a published report in the Courier Journal.
The criminal lawyers believed that the Police Officers have the legal right to defend themselves because Breonna Taylor's boyfriend shot them first. Additionally, three of these lawyers who believed that they should not be charged are Blacks.
Aubrey Williams, a former president of Louisville's NAACP chapter and has spent almost 40 years of his career fighting police in court, gave his sympathy as to what happened to Breonna Taylor. However, he believed that Police Officers should not be indicted or convicted.
Another Defense Lawyer, Jan Waddell, who is Black and is frequently fighting police officers in the court, said that Mattingly and Cosgrove are likely immune from prosecution. He explained that police officers are allowed to return fire under the Kentucky Law if their life is at risk.
It can be remembered that Police Officer Jonathan Mattingly was shot in the leg by Breonna Taylor's boyfriend because he thought they were intruders. Kenneth Walker said that he did not know they were Police Officers and felt that they were robbed.
However, Taylor's family civil lawyer Sam Aguiar acknowledged the police officers' right under the Kentucky Law. Still, he questioned why the Police Officer continued to shoot after they were no longer in danger.
Sam Aguiar said this based on the pieces of evidence shown and cited as well a 911 call from a neighbor who reported hearing gunfire. He also added another evidence where another 911 call was reported, and this time the caller said he heard more gunshots in just more than a minute.
Moreover, LMPD Chief Robert Schroeder fired Police Officer Brett Hankinson because he showed extreme indifference to the value of human life when Hankinson "blindly fired ten rounds into the back of Taylor's apartment and the one next door without verifying they were directed against someone who posed an immediate threat."
Meanwhile, Hankinson's lawyer David Leightty clarified and said that his client fired his gun as a response to the gunfire directed at himself. Other officers and Hankinson did not fire blindly into Taylor's apartment. Additionally, Leightty declined to give comments if his client will be charged with the crime.
This developing report about Breonna Taylor's case will surely outrage people who seek justice for African-Americans, most especially if the police officers were acquitted in the shooting and killing incident.
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