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One of the Kentucky grand jury members who voted to indict Brett Hankison on three counts of wanton endangerment last month said jurors were not given other options for potential charges against the former Louisville police officer. Hankison, alongside Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly and Detective Myles Cosgrove of the Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD), was investigated by the Kentucky Attorney General's office and Federal Bureau of Investigation for his role in Breonna Taylor's death earlier this year.
"Being one of the jurors on the Breonna Taylor case was a learning experience," the anonymous juror said in a statement released Tuesday afternoon. "The three weeks of service leading up to that presentation showed how the grand jury normally operates. The Breonna Taylor case was quite different."
Continuing, the statement said jurors were not "presented any charges other than the three Wanton Endangerment charges against Detective Hankison" when Daniel Cameron, the state's attorney general, submitted findings from his office's investigation to the grand jury. Cameron confirmed he would prosecute Hankison on charges brought by the jury during a press conference after the indictment was announced.
Earlier this month, the attorney general filed a motion asking the Jefferson County Circuit Court to dismiss a request from a juror who sought to speak publicly about the case. The court granted that juror's request on Tuesday.
Only Hankison faces criminal charges for the midnight police raid and shooting that preceded Taylor's passing, although the charges do not relate to his conduct as it involved the 26-year-old emergency room technician. Instead, the grand jury's indictment concerned her three neighbors, since some of the bullets Hankison fired into Taylor's residence traveled through the wall and entered the apartment adjacent to it.
Taylor's death has sparked protest across the world, as calls for an end to police violence and systemic racism erupted in late May and persisted throughout the summer. The grand jury's announcement in September reignited national outcry over what many felt was a glaring lack of justice served and failure to hold Hankison, Cosgrove or Mattingly accountable for their actions.
During the press conference that followed the grand jury's announcement, Cameron said FBI analysis indicated one of more than 20 bullets fired by Cosgrove and Mattingly killed Taylor. He explained that neither officer was indicted because Kentucky law protected their actions under statutes related to self-defense, and, therefore, homicide charges were not applicable. Kenneth Walker, Taylor's partner, shot Mattingly in the leg upon officers' forced entry the night of the shooting, thinking a home invasion was taking place.
In Tuesday's statement, the anonymous juror said much of the information Cameron shared with the public at his press conference was not previously relayed to the group assigned to Taylor's case. Additionally, the jury was only able to confer about whether to move forward with indictments based on charges presented to them.
"The grand jury did not have homicide offenses explained to them. The grand jury never heard anything about those laws. Self defense or justification was never explained either," the juror said. "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 grand jury didn't agree that certain actions were justified, nor did it decide the incitement should be the only charges in the Breonna Taylor case."
Newsweek reached out to Cameron's office for comment but did not receive a reply in time for publication.
