Ben Crump, an attorney for the family of Breonna Taylor, called it “outrageous” that no officers have been charged for killing the 26-year-old Black woman in her apartment. Former officer Brett Hankison has been charged with three counts of first-degree wanton endangerment, but only for firing bullets that entered neighboring apartments during the botched raid. Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron said Wednesday that the shots that killed Taylor were fired by Officer Myles Cosgrove, who has not been charged. “Jefferson County Grand Jury indicts former ofc. Brett Hankison with 3 counts of Wanton Endangerment in 1st Degree for bullets that went into other apartments but NOTHING for the murder of Breonna Taylor. This is outrageous and offensive!” Crump tweeted. “If Brett Hankison’s behavior was wanton endangerment to people in neighboring apartments, then it should have been wanton endangerment in Breonna Taylor’s apartment too. In fact, it should have been ruled wanton murder!”
Sam Aguiar, another family attorney, wrote on Facebook: “Way to really rub it in. Three counts for the shots into the apartment of the white neighbors, but no counts for the shots into the apartment of the black neighbors upstairs above Breonna’s.” Lonita Baker, another family attorney, said she “couldn’t make sense” of the grand jury’s decision. “Wanton endangerment to a neighboring apartment constitutes wanton endangerment to Breonna. She was clearly unarmed—as indicated in Mattingly’s statement—yet multiple bullets were fired at her while she was already on the ground. A search warrant obtained with lies... where is the perjury charge? ... If there were facts sufficient to indict for wanton endangerment to other people, there were facts sufficient to indict for wanton murder of Breonna,” she wrote.
