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Officer Involved in Breonna Taylor’s Killing Defends Actions, Calls Protesters “Thugs”

HeadlineSep 23, 2020

Louisville, Kentucky, remains in a state of emergency as the city prepares for a grand jury decision in the police killing of Breonna Taylor. Police fatally shot the 26-year-old Black emergency room technician in her own home on March 13. Ahead of the announcement, the Louisville Police Department announced it is conducting an internal review of six officers involved in the shooting and raid.

One of the officers being investigated, Sergeant Jon Mattingly, has defended his actions. In an email to 1,000 other officers, Mattingly wrote, “Regardless of the outcome today or Wednesday, I know we did the legal, moral and ethical thing that night.” In the email, he also called protesters “thugs,” saying, “This is not an us against society, but it is good versus evil.”

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