Kentucky police officers shot Breonna Taylor in a main pulmonary artery during the March 13 raid that left her dead, officials wrote in a recently-released autopsy report.
WHAS obtained the report, in which the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office said Taylor, 26, was also shot in the abdomen, back, lung, and foot. Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron revealed that Detective Myles Cosgrove was likely the officer who fired the shot that killed Taylor, an emergency room technician.
Cameron also stated that Taylor likely died within two minutes of being mortally wounded.
On March 13, Cosgrove, then-officer Brett Hankison, and Sergeant Jonathan Mattingly reportedly fatally shot Taylor while executing a search warrant at her home. The warrant was one of five police issued as they investigated Taylor’s former boyfriend, Jamarcus Glover. Glover was found 10 miles from Taylor’s apartment the same night as her shooting death, according to reports.
While Hankison was charged with wanton endangerment in connection with the deadly raid, the charge he is facing pertains to shots he reportedly fired into Taylor’s neighbor’s apartment. The two other officers involved in the raid, Sergeant Jonathan Mattingly and officer Myles Cosgrove, are not facing criminal charges.
Taylor’s full autopsy report was released around the same time Mattingly’s attorney, Todd McMurtry, released footage which he said shows the aftermath of Mattingly being shot in the leg after exchanging gunfire with Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, 27. Walker allegedly fired a single round at officers as he believed the apartment was being broken into.
This is the raw video of Louisville officer Sgt. John Mattingly shortly after Kenneth Walker shot him. They called him a "murderer," when all he did was defend himself. #BreonnaTaylor pic.twitter.com/oCaum8neaB
— Todd V. McMurtry (@ToddMcMurtry) September 24, 2020
The footage apparently shows Mattingly receiving medical aid. While police officials said they are unsure who leaked the video, McMurtry told NBC News that Mattingly gave it to him.
“They called him a ‘murderer,’ when all he did was defend himself,” the attorney tweeted, referring to his client.
Walker’s attorney, however, says he does not believe his client fired the shot that hit Mattingly.
“We know police are firing wildly from various angles,” attorney Steve Romines told The Louisville Courier Journal. “The timeline and evidence at the scene is more indicative of (police) actually shooting Mattingly than it is Kenny Walker.”
Louisville Metro police claimed the officers announced themselves and returned gunfire to Walker. Walker was initially charged with the attempted murder of a police officer and first-degree assault, but prosecutors dropped the charges due to a lack of evidence.
In late June, Louisville Metro police Interim Chief Robert Schroeder fired officer Hankison in connection with the deadly raid. Schroeder said Hankinson “blindly” fired 10 rounds into Taylor’s apartment and the unit next door. Hankinson is in the process of challenging his termination.
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[Featured image: Breonna Taylor/Instagram]
