Grand Jury Testimony From Breonna Taylor Case Released

A court released more than 20 hours of recorded grand jury proceedings in the Breonna Taylor case Friday after a juror spoke out about the charges.

The juror, who prefers to remain anonymous, said Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron never asked the grand jury to consider murder charges in the case. Cameron announced last Wednesday that only one of the three officers who fired shots into Taylor’s home would be charged.

Ahead of a noon deadline imposed by Jefferson Circuit Judge Ann Bailey Smith, Cameron’s office filed a redacted version of the recording, blocking out personal information such as Social Security numbers. According to NPR, the redactions take up just under four minutes of the recording.

The recordings are sure to provide insight on what happened from a variety of different people who were at the scene the night of March 13. The recording will also provide insight into how Cameron came to his decision to charge only former officer Brett Hankison with three counts of wanton endangerment for shooting into the apartments of Taylor’s neighbors.

The other two officers, Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly and Det. Myles Cosgrove, both of whom also opened fire that night, were not charged. An FBI analysis determined Cosgrove fired the shots that killed Taylor, Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron said on Wednesday.

Cameron said in a press conference Wednesday that his office believes the actions of the two officers “were justified in their use of force,” because Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, was the first to fire. Walker told the police he fired first because he thought someone had broken into the apartment.

Since Taylor’s death in March, the Black community has made it a point to make sure her name is not forgotten. Oprah Winfrey purchased 26 billboards demanding justice for Taylor. 2020 U.S. Open Champion Naomi Osaka wore a face mask with Taylor’s name in pre- and post-match interviews. And millions of people of all races spent the summer marching and protesting in her name.