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Breonna Taylor: Two officers shot during Louisville protests Breonna Taylor: Two officers shot during Louisville protests
(about 2 hours later)
Two policemen have been shot amid protests in the US over a decision not to charge any officers over the killing of Breonna Taylor.Two policemen have been shot amid protests in the US over a decision not to charge any officers over the killing of Breonna Taylor.
Ms Taylor, 26, a black hospital worker, was shot multiple times as three officers raided her home on 13 March.Ms Taylor, 26, a black hospital worker, was shot multiple times as three officers raided her home on 13 March.
A grand jury in the city of Louisville indicted one of the officers with "wanton endangerment" for shots which hit a neighbour's apartment. A grand jury in the city of Louisville returned only one minor charge against one of the officers, for shots which hit a neighbouring apartment.
The attorney general said the two other officers' actions had been justified.The attorney general said the two other officers' actions had been justified.
One of the officers had been hit by a shot fired by Ms Taylor's boyfriend, who later told police he thought it was Ms Taylor's ex-boyfriend who had broken into the apartment. One had been hit by a shot fired by Ms Taylor's boyfriend, who later told police he thought it was an ex-boyfriend of Ms Taylor who had broken into the apartment.
Cases of killings of unarmed black people by police have fuelled anger across the US and beyond, triggered especially by the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis in May. A judge had granted a warrant to search Ms Taylor's home because investigators suspected her ex-boyfriend, a convicted drug dealer, was using the address to receive packages. Ms Taylor had no criminal record.
Louisville Police Chief Robert Schroeder said the police officers shot on Wednesday did not have life-threatening injuries. A suspect was in custody, he added. Cases of killings of unarmed black people by police have fuelled anger across the US and beyond, spurred especially by the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis in May.
A state of emergency has been declared in Louisville and the National Guard have also been deployed. What is happening in Louisville?
Mayor Greg Fischer has set a 21:00-06:30 (01:00-10:30 GMT) curfew in the city for three days. He earlier said he had declared a state of emergency "due to the potential for civil unrest". The two police shot on Wednesday are not in life-threatening conditions and a suspect has been arrested.
Despite the curfew, crowds were still gathered after 21:00. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear urged the protesters to go home. A state of emergency has been declared and the National Guard have been deployed. A three-day curfew from 21:00 to 06:30 (01:00-10:30 GMT) has been introduced, though crowds were still gathered after it came into effect.
"We know that the answer to violence is never violence and we are thinking about those two officers and their families tonight. So I'm asking everybody: please, go home. Go home tonight," he said. Protests over the grand jury's decision also took place in New York, Washington, Atlanta, and Chicago.
Protests over the grand jury's decision were also held in New York, Washington, Atlanta, and Chicago. Tears and shock
What did the prosecutor say? By Aleem Maqbool, BBC News, Louisville
Under Kentucky law, someone is guilty of wanton endangerment if they commit an act that shows "an extreme indifference to the value of human life". At the moment protesters heard there would be no charges against officers directly relating to the killing, there were anguished cries, tears and shock at the tribute spot in Louisville dedicated to her memory.
This lowest-level felony offence can come with a five-year sentence for each count. The officer, Brett Hankison, was charged on three counts. As the evening went on, some told us they felt the officers would get charged, given the $12m (£9.3m; €10.3m) settlement the city of Louisville had agreed with Breonna Taylor's family, which they saw as an admission that there had been wrongdoing.
Ms Taylor's relatives and activists for whom her death has become a rallying cry had been calling for the three officers, who are all white, to be charged with murder or manslaughter. Others told us that in spite of the outcry after George Floyd's death, they felt there had been no systemic change and that police officers would continue to be protected in a way they saw as unfair.
But this was rejected by a grand jury that reviewed the evidence. The numbers on the streets thinned as the curfew approached, but that was when the two officers were shot and injured. One protester told me that he would keep taking to the streets until he saw police face the same accountability as the suspect who was arrested for shooting the officers is likely to.
On Wednesday, Judge Annie O'Connell announced the charges that had been brought against Mr Hankison. What charges have been brought over the case?
Kentucky Attorney General Mr Cameron then held a news conference in which he expanded on the decision. "This is a gut-wrenching emotional case," he said. One of the officers who raided Ms Taylor's apartment, Brett Hankison, was charged with three counts of "wanton endangerment in the first degree". Mr Hankinson was fired from the force in June.
"There is nothing I can offer them today to take away the grief and heartache as a result of losing a child, a niece, a sister and a friend," he added in a message to Ms Taylor's family. Under Kentucky law, wanton endangerment applies to an act of "extreme indifference to the value of human life". It is the lowest-level felony and carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
Mr Cameron said a ballistics report had found that six bullets struck Ms Taylor, but only one was fatal. Ms Taylor's relatives and activists had been calling for the three officers, who are all white, to be charged with murder or manslaughter.
That analysis concluded that Detective Myles Cosgrove had fired the shot that killed Ms Taylor. This was rejected by a grand jury - a panel drawn from members of the public to determine whether there is enough evidence to pursue a prosecution - that reviewed the evidence.
The attorney general said it was not clear if Mr Hankison's shots had hit Ms Taylor, but they had hit a neighbouring apartment. Following the decision, Kentucky Attorney General Mr Cameron - the state's top prosecutor - said there was "nothing I can offer [Ms Taylor's family] today to take away the grief and heartache as a result of losing a child, a niece, a sister and a friend," calling it a "gut-wrenching emotional case".
The top prosecutor said the other two officers - Jonathan Mattingly and Mr Cosgrove - had been "justified to protect themselves and the justification bars us from pursuing criminal charges". Mr Cameron said a ballistics report had found that six bullets had struck Ms Taylor, but only one had been fatal. That analysis concluded that Detective Myles Cosgrove had fired the shot that killed Ms Taylor.
Mr Cameron, a Republican who is the state's first black attorney general, added: "If we simply act on emotion or outrage, there is no justice. The attorney general said it was not clear if Mr Hankison's shots had also hit Ms Taylor, but they had hit a neighbouring apartment.
"Mob justice is not justice. Justice sought by violence is not justice. It just becomes revenge." He said Mr Cosgrove and the third officer, Jonathan Mattingly, had been "justified to protect themselves and the justification bars us from pursuing criminal charges".
He added that the FBI was still investigating potential violations of federal law in the case. The FBI was still investigating potential violations of federal law in the case, Mr Cameron added.
What's the reaction? What has been the reaction?
Ben Crump, a high-profile lawyer for the Taylor family, said the outcome was "outrageous and offensive". Ben Crump, a high-profile lawyer for the Taylor family, said the decision was "outrageous and offensive".
Officials this month agreed to pay her family $12m (£9.3m) in a settlement. When asked about the charges at a White House news conference, US President Donald Trump said he "thought it was really brilliant".
Asked for his reaction to the decision, Mr Trump told a White House news conference: "I thought it was really brilliant."
He praised Kentucky's attorney general, who addressed the Republican party convention last month, for "doing a fantastic job".He praised Kentucky's attorney general, who addressed the Republican party convention last month, for "doing a fantastic job".
"I think he's a star," he said, adding that he approved of the Kentucky governor's decision to send in the National Guard. Mr Trump's Democrat challenger for November's election, Joe Biden, said the decision "does not answer" the call for justice, while telling protesters to act peacefully.
Governor Andy Beshear, a Democrat, urged Kentucky prosecutors to release the evidence that was presented to the grand jury. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, a Democrat, urged prosecutors to release the evidence that was presented to the grand jury.
"I think having more of the facts out there so people can see, people can truly process it, is where we need to be," Mr Beshear told reporters. "I think having more of the facts out there so people can see, people can truly process it, is where we need to be," he said.
What happened to Ms Taylor? What were the circumstances of Ms Taylor's killing?
Shortly after midnight on Friday 13 March, she was in bed with her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, when they heard a banging on the door. Plainclothes police, executing a search warrant, forced their way into the apartment where Breonna Taylor was in bed with her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, shortly after midnight.
Plainclothes Louisville police officers were carrying out a narcotics raid, and they used a battering ram to enter the property. Mr Walker fired a shot from his licensed gun, later telling police he thought that Ms Taylor's ex-boyfriend, Jamarcus Glover, had broken in, according to the New York Times.
A judge had granted a warrant to search Ms Taylor's home because investigators suspected a convicted drug dealer - her ex-boyfriend, Jamarcus Glover - was using the address to receive packages. She had no criminal record. Officials say Mr Walker's bullet struck Mr Mattingly in the leg. The three officers returned fire, discharging 32 rounds, according to a ballistics report from the FBI.
Mr Walker fired a shot from his licensed gun, later telling police he thought that Glover had broken in, according to the New York Times. Ms Taylor was shot amid the commotion and died on the hallway floor.
Officials say Mr Walker's bullet struck a police officer, Jonathan Mattingly, in the leg - an injury for which he later required surgery. No drugs were found at the property, though Jefferson County Prosecutor Thomas Wine said the search was cancelled after the shooting.
The three officers returned fire, discharging 32 rounds, according to a ballistics report from the FBI. A subsequent police report contained errors, including listing Ms Taylor's injuries as "none" and saying no force was used to enter, when a battering ram had been used.
Ms Taylor, who had also got out of bed amid the commotion, was shot and died on the hallway floor. Mr Hankison was fired from the police after investigators found he had "wantonly and blindly fired 10 rounds" during the raid, according to his termination letter.
According to an arrest report, the officers had been granted a "no-knock" warrant, allowing them to enter the property without warning.
But Mr Cameron said on Wednesday the officers had not actually served such a warrant. The attorney general said the officers' statements that they identified themselves "are corroborated by an independent witness".
Some neighbours told local media they did not hear the officers announce themselves.
No drugs were found at the property, though Jefferson County prosecutor Thomas Wine has previously said the search was cancelled after the shooting.
The subsequent police report contained errors, including listing Ms Taylor's injuries as "none" and saying no force was used to enter, when a battering ram had been used.
Mr Walker was initially charged with attempted murder and assault of a police officer, but the case against him was dropped in May amid national scrutiny of the case.
What about the officers?
Mr Hankison was fired from the Louisville Metro Police Department in June after investigators found he had "wantonly and blindly fired 10 rounds" during the raid, according to his termination letter.
Mr Mattingly and Mr Cosgrove were reassigned to administrative duties.Mr Mattingly and Mr Cosgrove were reassigned to administrative duties.
The Louisville Courier-Journal has reported that six officers are under internal police review for their role in the shooting.
Mr Mattingly wrote an email on Saturday to more than 1,000 colleagues in which he criticised city leaders and protesters.
"Regardless of the outcome today or Wednesday, I know we did the legal, moral and ethical thing that night," he wrote in the message, which was published by media outlets on Tuesday.
"It's sad how the good guys are demonised, and the criminals are canonised."
"Your civil rights mean nothing," he added, "but the criminal has total autonomy."