Louisville FOP weighs in on grand jury decision
The Louisville chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police issued a statement Thursday on the grand jury's findings in the Breonna Taylor case.
"The Fraternal Order of Police, as previously stated, believes that the LMPD Public Integrity Unit was conducting a thorough and unbiased investigation of this incident and that when the case was turned over to the attorney general his office completed a thorough and unbiased investigation," local President Ryan Nichols said in a statement.
"When the fact-based evidence was presented to the grand jury they decided that the officers were justified in using lethal force to protect themselves after Sgt. Mattingly was shot by Kenneth Walker," Nichols continued. "Tragically, Ms. Taylor was killed when these officers were forced to protect themselves from Mr. Walker."
Nichols went on to say in the statement that it is "extremely important that the grand jury recognized that state law allows law enforcement officers to protect themselves from these types of attacks while they protect and serve our citizenry every day."
He also said that though former LMPD detective Brett Hankinson was indicted with three counts of first-degree wanton endangerment for shooting into another apartment, he is "innocent until proven guilty ... and deserves due process like every other citizen in our country."