An anonymous grand juror in the Breonna Taylor case recently alleged that the jury was “not given the opportunity” to deliberate homicide charges against the police officers involved in the raid that killed her because Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron never presented them.
As tweeted by VICE News correspondent Roberto Ferdman, the juror released an explosive statement on Tuesday, issued by lawyer Kevin Glogower, after a judge granted their request to speak publicly about the court proceedings. According to CNN , this is a rare exception, as grand juries are usually intended to remain secret.
You can view the juror’s statement here .
The 26-year-old Taylor was fatally shot the night of March 13 by Louisville Metro Police Department officers who broke down her apartment door during a botched drug raid. None of the officers involved were charged with her death, but Brett Hankison was indicted on three counts of wanton endangerment for putting Taylor’s neighbors at risk.
The unnamed individual called the trial a “learning experience.”
“The grand jury was not presented any charges other than the three Wanton Endangerment charges against [ex-police officer Brett] Hankison. The grand jury did not have homicide offenses explained to them. The grand jury never heard anything about those laws. Self defense or justification was never explained either.”
“The grand jury didn’t agree that certain actions were justified, nor did it decide the indictment should be the only charges in the Breonna Taylor case,” the statement continued.
A second grand juror, who also asked whether they could speak publicly about the details of the case, said on Tuesday that they were discussing the next steps with their counsel.
Cameron has acknowledged that wanton endangerment was the only charge his prosecutors recommended to the grand jury. The Republican politician and attorney had previously claimed that prosecutors presented all evidence.
“Daniel Cameron should be ashamed of himself. He made a decision based upon a political agenda,” Sam Aguiar, a lawyer for Taylor’s family, said in a statement on Tuesday.
Aguiar added that Cameron, who spoke at the 2020 Republican National Conference, “tried to hide behind secrecy rules and now his lies got exposed.”
Ben Crump, another lawyer for Taylor’s family, made a public request once again for the appointment of a new independent prosecutor.
The trial’s outcome led to Black Lives Matter protests across Taylor’s hometown of Louisville and provoked outrage online.
As The Inquisitr reported, rapper Megan Thee Stallion criticized Cameron specifically while performing her hit “Savage” on Saturday Night Live. She spoke movingly about Taylor’s death in her New York Times opinion piece. The attorney general later called her comments “disgusting.”
According to an announcement posted on his Twitter, Cameron stands by his work as special prosecutor, saying he made the decision to present charges to the grand jury “that could be proven under Kentucky law.” You can view his post here .