Photo of the day: SIU students protest grand jury’s decision in Breonna Taylor case
No officer was charged directly with Taylor’s death.
September 23, 2020
On Wednesday, around two dozen SIU students and community members organized a march to protest the death of Breonna Taylor and the decision of the Kentucky grand jury regarding her case.
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The students met at Trueblood on East Campus at 7:00 p.m. and marched around East Campus, down the strip and throughout Carbondale.
Taylor was shot by Louisville police officers on March 13, 2020 while in bed at her apartment around 1 a.m during a no-knock raid. Officers fired 22 bullets into her apartment.
(See more: What we know about Breonna Taylor’s death and the ongoing fight for justice).
Today a grand jury indicted fired police officer Brett Hankison with first-degree wanton endangerment for shooting through the walls of a neighboring apartment during the raid.
The two other officers involved, Sgt. John Mattingly and Det. Myles Cosgrove, will face no charges and no officer was charged directly with Taylor’s death.
Out of the three officers who took part in the raid, Hankison was the only one dismissed from the Louisville Police Department.
“It’s outrageous that no charges were filed as far as murder goes in any way and that the only one who is considered for charges is the neighbor and in no case was Breonna or the boyfriend considered,” Liam Reinier, a freshman studying biological sciences, said.
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Maleah Mays, of Carbondale Illinois, said she was at the march to protest the injustice of the situation.
“I’m here because of the injustice that has been going on in America for so many years and it’s time to stop,” Mays said.
Photo Editor Leah Sutton can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at @LeahSutton_
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