Public anger over Breonna Taylor jury compounded by lack of transparency, says local attorney

Reactions continue to the recent decision by a Kentucky grand jury not to indict Louisville police officers in the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor. We heard from local attorney Mel McDonald, now Horizonte host José Cárdenas gets a different perspective from Benjamin Taylor, of the legal firm Taylor and Gomez LLP.

Taylor explained that many people are so upset at the results of the trial because, despite public uproar, it was a secret proceeding. “We have no idea if this prosecutor did the right thing, presenting the right amount of evidence for the grand jury, holding them accountable and have them proceed to a trial,” he said.

Although one of the officers involved in the shooting is being charged with wanton endangerment, people wanted more. Expectations were set for a charge of manslaughter or negligent homicide. However, the attorney-general claimed that because Breonna Taylor’s boyfriend shot first, the police officers were acting from self-defense.

According to Benjamin Taylor, under the law, Breonna Taylor’s boyfriend was acting in self-defense. “He had no idea who was in his house at night, it was a no-knock warrant. They came into Breonna Taylor’s house, and any reasonable person would be upset and scared and fire, if you had no idea who is in your house.”