- a Kentucky accent, one of my favorites when done right
- prosecutor refusing to indict, citing the accused cops' claims about their own conduct
- neighbors uniformly rejected the cops' claim that they announced themselves before raiding the home
- 1 of those neighbors eventually altered his testimony after multiple police "interviews"
- conflicting ballistics report by the state police (not the involved PD), prosecutor isn't releasing the report
- self-defense excuse by cops wouldn't even apply to secondary victim (Breonna Taylor) in Kentucky

“In objecting to this motion, the attorney general speculates that allowing this grand juror to speak may compromise Brett Hankison’s right to a fair trial,” the court said. “When asked to be more specific about its concerns, the Commonwealth acknowledged it did not know how allowing this grand juror to speak would undermine Hankison’s trial. Therefore, this court cannot find that this concern is founded in reality.”

The judicial upbraiding, which characterizes Cameron’s objection to the release of grand jury materials as “theatrical,” continues on for a bit longer [emphasis in original]:

The Commonwealth also asserts that to release information about the grand jury proceedings in this case would “destroy the principle of secrecy that serves as the foundation of the grand jury system.” To be clear, this Court’s ruling on this motion is applicable only to this case. Further, when considering the Attorney General’s swift compliance with the trial court’s order to release the grand jury recordings, coupled with the Attorney General’s multiple public statements and characterizations about the grand jury and the resulting indictment, the Commonwealth’s objection now reads as theatrical sturm und drang.

[...]
The order offers a summary explanation for why the typically secret proceedings should be made available in Taylor’s case:

There exist additional interests to consider in making this decision: the interest of the citizens of the Commonwealth of Kentucky to be assured that its publicly elected officials are being honest in their representations; the interest of grand jurors, whose service is compelled, to be certain their work is not mischaracterized by the very prosecutors on whom they relied to advise them; and, the interest of all citizens to have confidence in the integrity of the justice system. Considering those interests, there is no doubt that justice requires disclosure of the grand jury proceedings in this case.”

Louisville police officer sues Kenneth Walker, boyfriend of Breonna Taylor, for emotional distress, assault and battery

An officer involved in the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor has filed a civil suit against the 26-year-old's boyfriend for emotional distress, assault and battery on the night she was killed. The lawsuit claims Louisville Sergeant Jonathan Mattingly experienced "severe trauma, mental anguish, and emotional distress" because of Kenneth Walker's actions on March 13.

Mattingly and two other officers entered Taylor's apartment early in the morning that day with a warrant in an attempt to carry out a drug investigation. Walker, a licensed gun owner who said he thought the officers were intruders, allegedly fired a shot that hit Mattingly in the leg. Police opened fire, killing Taylor. Taylor had no criminal record and no drugs were found.

"Walker's conduct in shooting Mattingly is outrageous, intolerable, and offends all accepted standards of decency and morality," the lawsuit said, citing one of the legal standards for intentional emotional distress.

Walker was initially arrested and charged with attempted murder over the shooting, but those charges were later dropped. Walker subsequently sued the Louisville Metropolitan Police Department and also sought immunity based on the state's "Stand Your Ground" law.

Walker's attorney called Mattingly's lawsuit a "baseless attempt to further victimize and harass Kenny."

"Kenny Walker is protected by law under KRS 503.085 and is immune from both criminal prosecution and civil liability as he was acting in self defense in his own home," attorney Steve Romines said in a statement obtained by CBS News.

"Even the most basic understanding of Kentucky's 'Stand Your Ground' law and the 'Castle Doctrine' evidences this fact. One would think that breaking into the apartment, executing his girlfriend and framing him for a crime in an effort to cover up her murder would be enough for them," he added. "Yet this baseless attempt to further victimize and harass Kenny indicates otherwise."

crank wrote:[...]I've gone through this thread, skimmed through, didn't notice, but is anyone here black? I can't imagine what it's like to live with the racism in this country. You get 'the talk', you learn how precarious life can be, how dangerous cops could be, you learn you can't act like white folk act and not risk serious problems. There's examples in posts here of whites with knives, even guns, in confrontations with police and the police don't escalate, they de-escalate, no one gets hurt. How often does that happen with POC? As far as I'm concerned, rioting and looting is a really measured, restrained response.[...]

felltoearth wrote:The US’s problems go way beyond Trump.