Although the family of slain African-American ER Technician Breanna Taylor recently received a settlement from the Louisville police department for her death, justice still had not been served because none of the police officers were charged with her killing. Breanna was shot while she was asleep after cops busted into her apartment (the wrong apartment for the person they were looking for) with a no-knock warrant on March 13th, 2020.
Many people in Louisville, Kentucky (as well as across the United States as a whole) feel that what recently occurred does not equal justice, because only one of the policemen involved in the shooting has been charged, and there doesn’t seem to be any sign of future charges planned for the other two cops.
The detective who was charged with three counts of what is referred to as “first degree wanton endangerment”, Brett Hankinson, is the man who was fired from the police department in June 2020. According to The Washington Post, The person who actually fired the shot that killed Breanna, Detective Miles Cosgrove, as well as the other officer in the shooting, Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly, have not been charged.
The shots were deemed “justified” because the plain-clothes policemen who busted into the apartment that day (looking for a man who was already in police custody) were shot at first by Taylor’s boyfriend after they abruptly entered the living space.
What Exactly is Wanton Endangerment?
Former Detective Brett Wankinson was charged with three counts of Wanton Endangerment, and the charges had nothing to do with Brianna’s murder. The reason they aren’t connected to her death is because the charges are based on the fact that Wankinson had blindly fired his weapon into a neighboring apartment, according to USA Today.
In the State of Kentucky, Wanton Endangerment in the First Degree is labeled as a Class D Felony, with a sentence of up to five years maximum for each count of it. Breanna’s family lawyers were expecting at least a charge of manslaughter (for each of the officers), but two weren’t even charged, and the one who did will probably even get to be incarcerated at his home or in special housing instead of actually behind bars.
The official definition of First Degree Wanton Endangerment, according to Kentucky State Law 508.060, is as follows:
A person is guilty of wanton endangerment in the first degree when, under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life, he wantonly engages in conduct which creates a substantial danger of death or serious physical injury to another person.
Reactions to the Breanna Taylor Case Charging Decision
The city of Louisville, Kentucky is set to have a 9:00 p.m. curfew, and protests are anticipated by authorities after this charging decision. Breanna’s supporters are undoubtedly upset by this, and Police Chief Robert Schroeder said that the main goal of the police is to keep the public protected “while also ensuring the constitutional right for people to express their feelings in a lawful and peaceful manner.”
The National Guard has already been ordered to report to Louisville.
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