LOUISVILLE, KY. -- A Kentucky man who served on the Breonna Taylor grand jury said they felt police actions on the night of her death were 鈥渃riminal鈥� but grand jurors were not given the chance to explore charges related to her shooting death by officers.
Two grand jurors, one a white man and the other an African American man, have spoken out about the grand jury proceedings through statements but have remained anonymous.
Both men told CBS 鈥淭his Morning鈥� in an interview Wednesday that many members of the grand jury were upset over statements by Kentucky's attorney general that the grand jury 鈥渁greed鈥� that the homicide charges against the officers were not on the table because the Louisville police officers were justified in returning fire at Taylor's apartment.
Taylor, a Black emergency medical worker, was shot five times by white officers on March 13. Taylor's boyfriend, fearing an intruder, told investigators he fired one shot from a handgun after police entered Taylor's apartment to serve a narcotics warrant. No drugs or cash were found at her home.
When asked what he felt about the police actions on the night of the raid, grand juror #2, who is Black, said 鈥渢hey were criminal.鈥� Grand juror #1 said police were 鈥渘egligent.鈥�
鈥淭heir organization, leading up to (the Taylor raid), was lacking,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat's what I mean by negligent.鈥�
The two grand jurors said many on the 12-member panel felt that other charges could have been pursued against the officers.
Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron announced at a widely-viewed news conference in September that the grand jury 鈥渁greed鈥� the officers who shot Taylor were justified in returning fire.
鈥淚 really felt that this was all Cameron,鈥� said grand juror #2. 鈥淭his was up to him, we didn't get a choice in that at all. I was livid.鈥�
Former officer Brett Hankison, who was fired in June, was indicted by the grand jury on three counts of wanton endangerment for firing into a neighbour's apartment.
鈥淭here was several more charges that could've gone forward on all of those officers, or at least the three shooters,鈥� grand juror #2 said.
Two other officers who fired their guns during the raid were not charged by the grand jury.
