A Kentucky EMT was shot and killed during a police raid of her home. The family is suing for wrongful death

[Mockingbird]

(CNN) -- A Kentucky woman working as an EMT was killed after officers forced their way inside her home and exchanged shots with her boyfriend, according to a lawsuit filed by her mother.

The officers were executing a search warrant in a narcotics investigation, the Louisville Metro Police Department has said, when they entered Breonna Taylor's apartment just before 1 a.m. on March 13.

 

Taylor's mother, in a wrongful death lawsuit filed last month against the three police officers involved, argues that the officers should have called off their search of Taylor's apartment because a suspect police were looking for had already been arrested by other officers executing a warrant at a separate location.

 

Attorney Benjamin Crump joined the family's legal team this week, vowing to seek justice for Taylor, who was shot at least eight times, according to the lawsuit.

"Despite the tragic circumstances surrounding her death, the Department has not provided any answers regarding the facts and circumstances of how this tragedy occurred, nor have they taken responsibility for her senseless killing," Crump said in a statement.

 

[...]

 

https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/13/us/louisville-police-emt-killed-trnd/index.html

[DocM]

Many ways to look at it.

 

1) they could surround the place, clear the area, call her phone/use a megaphone/send in a robot and do a notification - which could go to hell in a hand basket if an innocent party is there and it becomes a hostage situation. Suicide, taking the hostage with them, happens a lot.

 

2) it was a location known to be part of a drug operation. Cops don't know if another dealer, perhaps her, will fire at the first person who knocks so they do a hot entry. Catch 'em flat footed.

 

Sometimes there's a shortage of good options, especially when drug dealers are involved. 

[Emn1ty]

Posting an update on this case.

 

One officer indicted on "wanton endangerment", also statements say (and supposedly corroborated by a witness) that the police did, in fact, announce themselves before entering.

 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/09/23/breonna-taylor-announcement-grand-jury-louisville-police-case-updates/5814876002/

[DocM]

This falls under Charlie Foxtrot

 

From reports here the investigators sought and obtained a no-knock warrant, then passed it off to a 3 man team who did the raid. 

 

The cops announced but weren't heard, so the male resident fired thinking it was a home invasion - a serious problem in many jurisdictions and grounds for self-defense.

 

One cop was hit in the leg on entry, causing them to return fire. Again, generally justifiable but causing the death of EMT Taylor.

 

The changes against one officer are 3 cases of reckless endangerment - his shots went into a neighboring apartment with 3 residents.

 

The problem is the no-knock warrant. These should only be used in hostage rescue or other such situations. Straight up entry warrants should be handled otherwise; one option being evacuating the surrounding residents, surrounding the unit, and notifying occupants to surrender.

 

Anything but charging in at a late hour with no notification. Granny will grab her shotgun.

[techbeck]

Correct me if  I am wrong, but the AG who oversaw the case made the decision in the charges against the officers.  OR was part of it.  And he is black.  Daniel Cameron.  If so, then what the heck does white supremacy have to do with things here?  He made a statement that he was following the law in the case.  Or is he just an Uncle Tom like black people are basically being called, that and traitors to their race, for not going along with those who are against cops and thinks all cop issues against a black person is racist?  Or any black person who is for the Pres for that matter.

[DocM]

13 minutes ago, techbeck said:

Correct me if  I am wrong, but the AG who oversaw the case made the decision in the charges against the officers.  OR was part of it.  And he is black.  Daniel Cameron.  If so, then what the heck does white supremacy have to do with things here?  He made a statement that he was following the law in the case.  Or is he just an Uncle Tom like black people are basically being called, that and traitors to their race, for not going along with those who are against cops and thinks call cop issues against a black person is racist?

 

I guess because the cops were white, but in this case the charging decision was made by a Citizens Grand Jury (states vary, but these are usually a county function).

 

The DA presents the evidence and forensics, runs through a tick-tock, the Grand Jurors ask questions, and then the Grand Jury votes to indict or not.

Edited September 24, 2020 by DocM

[techbeck]

1 minute ago, DocM said:

 

I guess because the cops were white, but in this case the charging decision was made by a Citizens Grand Jury (states vary, but these are usually a county function).

 

The DA presents the evidence and forensics, runs through a tick-tock, and the Grand Jury votes to indict or not.

Thanks for the clarification.  Late and lots of media on this.  So  will read more in the morning.

[techbeck]

BLM co-founder argues Black Kentucky AG gave a 'Bull Connor speech in 2020'
 

Quote

 

Black Lives Matter co-founder Alicia Garza suggested on Wednesday that Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron sounded like a notorious segregationist and racist from the civil rights era.

 

Her comments came on MSNBC's "The ReidOut" after Cameron spoke about the grand jury's decision to indict one of the police officers involved in Breonna Taylor's death on three counts of wanton endangerment.

 

"I think what I saw this morning was a Bull Connor speech in 2020," she said, referring to the former Alabama politician. "And you’re right," she told MSNBC host Joy Reid, "unfortunately, it was being given by a Black prosecutor."

 

Reid had urged viewers to focus on Cameron's affiliation with the Republican Party, saying the fact he was Black didn't mean anything.

 

"I think you have to always look at party. Party is the religion now in America -- especially for Republicans. Don’t look at the fact that this guy is black. That does not mean anything," she said. "He is a Republican through and through. He spoke at the RNC [Republican National Convention]. He told you who he was. Believe him."

 

Cameron said Taylor's death was a "tragedy," but stood by the charges brought by the grand jury. "The proof is now before us. The facts have been examined, and the grand jury, comprised of our peers and fellow residents, have made a decision," he said. "Justice is not often easy. It does not fit the mold of public opinion. And it does not conform to shifting standards. It answers only to the facts and to the law."

 

https://www.foxnews.com/media/blm-co-founder-cameron-bull-connor

 

Like I said before, a black person calling it how he sees it and according to the evidence and being labeled a racist himself for not agreeing with the ones who are calling these events racist.  Some events are racist...sure.  But not every one.  This kind if thinking will solve nothing.  Lots of black people do not agree with every incident being racist...do not agree with de-funding police.  And are being labeled as traitors or uncle toms. 

[Mockingbird]

Breonna Taylor grand juror says panel wasn't given a chance to consider homicide charges

 

Quote

(CNN) -- The Breonna Taylor grand jury was not given an opportunity to consider homicide charges in the case against police officers who served a no-knock warrant at her home the night she was killed, an anonymous member of the panel said Tuesday.

 

The statement came shortly after a Kentucky judge ruled the grand juror may speak publicly about the case presented by Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron.

 

"The grand jury did not have homicide offenses explained to them," the anonymous grand juror wrote in a statement issued by attorney Kevin Glogower. "The grand jury never heard about those laws. Self defense or justification was never explained either."

 

[...]

 

The grand juror said the panel was only presented with wanton endangerment charges against one officer involved the police shooting in March. A second grand juror, who also stepped forward to ask about speaking publicly about the case, said Tuesday they were discussing next steps with counsel.

 

"Questions were asked about additional charges and the grand jury was told there would be none because the prosecutors didn't feel they could make them stick," the first juror's statement said.

 

[...]

https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/20/us/breonna-taylor-grand-juror-ruling/index.html

[Mockingbird]

 

[Mockingbird]

Breonna Taylor grand juror says Louisville police actions before her death were "criminal"

 

Quote

Two grand jurors in the Breonna Taylor case spoke to "CBS This Morning" co-host Gayle King in an exclusive interview set to air Wednesday. The two men, who asked to remain anonymous for their safety, said they were never given the option to consider murder or manslaughter charges — with one calling the police's actions and behaviors the night Taylor was killed "criminal."

One of the jurors, Juror No. 1, released a written statement last week criticizing Kentucky Attorney General Cameron over the grand jury proceedings. 

In a September 23 news conference, Cameron said his investigation found — "and the grand jury agreed" — that the two officers who opened fire from Taylor's doorway on March 13, killing her, were justified because they were returning a shot fired by her boyfriend Kenneth Walker. Because of that, Cameron said, six possible homicide charges under Kentucky law were not applicable to the case.

In King's exclusive interview, the two grand jurors disputed Cameron's public comments regarding the case, and said they were never given the option to consider murder or manslaughter charges — though Juror No. 2, who called Louisville police's actions "criminal," said the entire operation that resulted in Taylor's death was full of "deception."

"They were criminal leading up to this in everything that they — the way they moved forward on it, including the warrant," he said.

 

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/breonna-taylor-grand-juror-louisville-police-criminal

 

 

[Emn1ty]

Just want to caution, 2 of 12 people speaking about this could also be for other reasons. And it's not up to them to determine criminality. Most people aren't aware of all the evidence, or aware of all the facts in this case. People choosing to ignore the conclusion of the grand jury likely already concluded what the outcome "should" be. Perhaps an investigation into there "not being enough evidence to make other charges stick" is true or not. If it is, I'm sorry but you can't just decide someone is guilty because you want to. Evidence matters, and in the absence of evidence then even guilty people don't get convicted. That's the system we have, innocent until proven guilty.

The article above? Is just throwing gas on the flames unless something substantive can actually be shown to have been wrong with how things went down. The only thing I've read in the multiple articles that can be truly questioned is the decision by prosecutors not to push for harsher charges due to "not being able to make it stick". So until we see full evidence, we can't tell if that's true or not. And, honestly, they should have provided all evidence and seen what the grand jury would think would stick.

[DocM]

1 hour ago, Emn1ty said:

>
The only thing I've read in the multiple articles that can be truly questioned is the decision by prosecutors not to push for harsher charges due to "not being able to make it stick". So until we see full evidence, we can't tell if that's true or not. And, honestly, they should have provided all evidence and seen what the grand jury would think would stick.

 

We have several layers of fail in this case

 

1) poor execution on the part of commanders. Definitely the primary fault is theirs (AIUI their target was already in custody).

 

2) the PD's Intelligence Unit was asleep at the wheel, not knowing many facts they should have before any action was taken.

 

3) no-knock warrants, which are used far too often and without body cams on all participants.

 

Personally, I don't like no-knock warrants at all; too many ways they can go sideways. Hard entries should only be done for anti-terror raids, hot pursuits, and hostage rescues. Period.

[Emn1ty]

2 minutes ago, DocM said:

 

We have several layers of fail in this case

 

1) poor execution on the part of commanders. They weren't on site, but definitely the primary fault is theirs (AIUI their target was already in custody).

 

2) the PD's Intelligence Unit was asleep at the wheel, not knowing many facts they should have before any action was taken.

 

3) no-knock warrants, which are used far too often and without body cams on all participants.

 

Personally, I don't like no-knock warrants at all; too many ways they can go sideways. Hard entries should only be done for anti-terror raids, hot pursuits, and hostage rescues. Period.

From my understanding, it was not a no-knock warrant and supposedly based on the results of the Grand Jury it wasn't performed as one either. But even then, a knock warrant in the middle of the night is questionable in and of itself.

[DocM]

5 minutes ago, Emn1ty said:

From my understanding, it was not a no-knock warrant and supposedly based on the results of the Grand Jury it wasn't performed as one either. But even then, a knock warrant in the middle of the night is questionable in and of itself.

 

Knocking is one thing.

 

Banging on the door once, yelling incomprehensibly at sleeping people, then crashing through the door can and will get you a Saiga 12 drum magazine full of buckshot to the face.

[Mockingbird]

Breonna Taylor grand juror claims there was enough evidence for homicide charges, police "covered" their mistakes

 

Quote

Two members of the grand jury involved in the Breonna Taylor case are accusing Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron of falsely representing their position on potential indictments for the officers involved in Taylor's death.

The jurors, who asked to remain anonymous, told "CBS This Morning" co-host Gayle King in an exclusive interview that they were never presented with the option to consider indicting officers on charges directly linked to Taylor's death.

"It was a betrayal," Juror No. 2 said. "They didn't give us the charges up front… when they gave us all of that testimony, over 20-something hours, and then to say that these are the only charges that they're coming up with, it's like, 'Well, what did we just sit through?'"

[...]

Juror No. 2 said there was an "uproar" among the grand jury when they were told by prosecutors that the wanton endangerment charge was the only one to consider after hours of testimony.

[...]

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/breonna-taylor-grand-juror-homicide-charges-police-mistakes/

 

 

Edited October 30, 2020 by Mockingbird

[DocM]

7 hours ago, Mockingbird said:

Breonna Taylor grand juror claims there was enough evidence for homicide charges, police "covered" their mistakes

 

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/breonna-taylor-grand-juror-homicide-charges-police-mistakes/

 

 

Charly Foxtrot, beginning to end. The Grand Jury should have been given a range of  options ranging  from no charge up to negligent homicide or murder 2, then allowed to choose what they thought was appropriate.