Breonna Taylor Protest
(Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
Officer Who Allegedly Shot Breonna Taylor: "It's Sad How the Good Guys Are Demonized, and Criminals Are Canonized"
In an email to officers, Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly wrote, "I know we did the legal, moral and ethical thing that night."
An officer involved in the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor sent an email to 1,000 officers alleging he and his colleagues were justified in how they handled the "botched" raid which led to her death.
The email was reportedly sent by Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly on Tuesday morning. Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron is slated to decide whether or not the state will pursue criminal charges against Mattingly and other officers responsible for Taylor’s death.
In the mass email, Mattingly shared he is “sorry” that his “LMPD Family” has to “go through this.” He also defended his actions and threw Mayor Greg Fischer, Public Safety Chief Amy Hess and former LMPD Chief Steve Conrad under the bus.
He also proceeded to call protestors “thugs.” The email read: "You DO NOT DESERVE to be in this position. The position that allows thugs to get in your face and yell, curse, and degrade you. Throw bricks, bottles, and urine on you and expect you to do nothing ... Your civil rights mean nothing, but the criminal has total autonomy.”
He went on to share, "... Regardless of the outcome (of the Kentucky attorney general's decision) today or Wednesday, I know we did the legal, moral and ethical thing that night. It's sad how the good guys are demonized, and the criminals are canonized."
\u201cNew: LMPD Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly (who is being investigated as part of Breonna Taylor\u2019s case) sent an email to around 1,000 officers at 2am that calls protestors thugs, complains about the government enforcing civil rights violations, and claims this is "good versus evil\u201d\u201d— Roberto Aram Ferdman (@Roberto Aram Ferdman) 1600779325
The evening of the shooting, Mattingly and two other plainclothes officers raided Breonna Taylor’s apartment. This was part of an ongoing narcotics investigation, Taylor’s apartment was assumed to be a major part of a narrative that was built by detectives, according to the New York Times. The officers believed they'd find Taylor alone alongside evidence of drug trafficking. As a part of a no-knock warrant, they entered her residence as Taylor and her boyfriend Kenneth Walker were asleep. When Walker heard the noise the officers were making, he fired a warning shot. The officers reportedly fired back and Taylor was struck five times, she died in her apartment. No drugs were found during the raid.
Mattingly's attorney, Kent Walker released a statement confirming his client did release an internal email. "Sgt. Mattingly sent an email to his colleagues last evening, expressing his support for them and their work in these difficult times," Wicker shared. "As you will recall, he was shot and severely injured while serving this warrant. Like our entire community, he is hopeful that this process moves forward quickly, and that his fellow officers and the people of Louisville remain safe."
