Kentucky governor wants AG to release ‘everything’ in Breonna Taylor case
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Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear is calling for his state’s attorney general, Daniel Cameron, to release “all information” related to the grand jury proceedings in the shooting death of Breonna Taylor.
The proceedings have come under intense scrutiny after grand jurors failed to indict any officers in the slaying of the 26-year-old emergency medical technician in her apartment on March 13.
One of them, Brett Hankison, was charged with three counts of wanton endangerment for firing bullets into a neighboring home. He was also fired from the Louisville Metropolitan Police Department.
After Cameron announced that no charges would be found, he placed the onus on the grand jurors’ decision. However, one member filed a lawsuit asking to be able to speak to the media, asserting that the panel was never given the option to consider homicide charges in the case.
A second anonymous grand juror issued a statement this week, saying the same. That co-signature spurred the governor.
Read More: Second anonymous juror in Breonna Taylor case speaks out
Beshear issued a statement asserting that “the current situation raises serious concerns, as multiple grand jurors are now claiming Attorney General Cameron has not been truthful to the public about what occurred in the grand jury process.”
“I trust Kentuckians with the truth,” the Democratic governor continued, “and the next step should be to release all information, evidence, grand jury conversations, recorded or not — everything.”
So far, Cameron has released 15 hours of audio recorded during the hearing, including 911 calls grand jurors heard and video from officers’ body cameras, along with jurors’ asked questions. But he has not released their deliberations or prosecutors’ recommendations or statements.
Read More: Moms of those killed by police honored by Truth Hope and Justice Initiative
Cameron maintains that while wanton endangerment was the only charge recommended to the grand jury, all evidence was presented, and Taylor’s shooting by the officers was justified.
Sam Aguiar, an attorney for Taylor’s family, has condemned Cameron’s actions. He said that the decision was made based on “a political agenda,” one that seeks the Kentucky attorney general’s advancement in the Republican Party.
Cameron, says Aguiar, “tried to hide behind secrecy rules and now his lies got exposed. Everything he’s done has been an abuse of the system. Breonna’s Taylor’s family deserves and is entitled to a prosecutor committed to doing the job with morals, ethics and a commitment to the law.”
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Published at Fri, 23 Oct 2020 15:02:24 +0000