Outrage and protests after no officers directly charged with Breonna Taylor's death

The counts pertain to Hankison allegedly firing blindly through a door and window, with bullets entering an adjacent apartment where a pregnant woman, a man and a child were home, according to the state attorney general.

Sgt. John Mattingly and Det. Myles Cosgrove, the two other officers, will face no charges following months of demonstrations and unrest over the killing. Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron on Wednesday said the officers were "justified in their use of force" because Taylor's boyfriend fired at officers first. An FBI ballistics analysis showed Cosgrove fired the shot that killed Taylor, he said.

Activists had demanded more serious felony counts, and the arrests of the three officers who fired shots the night Taylor was killed.

After the decision was announced, members of the Kentucky National Guard and state police were activated as protesters took to the streets and some clashes erupted with officers in riot gear.

Attorney for Taylor's family called decision 'outrageous and offensive'

Cameron called the Taylor's death "a gut-wrenching emotional case." He defended the length of the investigation, saying the time reflected "how important it was to get this right."

"I certainly understand the pain that has been brought about by the tragic loss of Ms. Taylor. I understand that as an attorney general who is responsible for all 120 counties, in terms of being the chief legal officer -- the chief law enforcement officer, I understand that. I understand that as a Black man -- how painful this is, which is why it was so incredibly important to make sure that we did everything we possibly could to uncover every fact."

Attorney Ben Crump, who represents Taylor's family, in a statement called the decision "outrageous and offensive."

"If Hankison's behavior constituted wanton endangerment of the people in the apartments next to hers, then it should also be considered wanton endangerment of Breonna. In fact, it should have been ruled wanton murder," he said.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky in a tweet called the decision to not charge the officers in her death "the latest miscarriage of justice in our nation's long history of denying that Black lives matter."

"Once again, a prosecutor has refused to hold law enforcement accountable for killing a young Black woman. Breonna Taylor should still be alive today."

The NAACP said in a statement that the justice system "failed" Taylor and the charges against one officer do "not go far enough."

First-degree wanton endangerment is a Class D felony, the lowest of four classes of felonies. The maximum sentence is five years; the minimum is one year.

Demonstrators at a makeshift memorial to Taylor in downtown Louisville called for Cameron to step down after the charges were announced in court and the former's detective's bond was set at $15,000. Some demonstrators marched in the downtown area. News footage Wednesday afternoon showed some clashes between protesters and police in riot gear. Some people appeared to be detained by officers.

"I understand that Miss Breonna Taylor's death has become a part of a national story in conversation," Cameron said. "We must also remember the facts and the collection of evidence in this case are different than cases elsewhere in the country. Each is unique and cannot be compared."

Cameron said he spoke with Breonna Taylor's mother, Tamika Palmer, before his news conference. He said there's nothing he can do to "take away the grief and heartache" that comes with Taylor's death.

City prepares for unrest

Louisville has prepared for the possibility of unrest. For months, protesters have criticized the length of the investigation and demanded the arrests of all officers involved.

Anticipating new protests, Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer and Louisville Interim Police Chief Robert Schroeder announced a 72-hour countywide curfew starting 9 p.m. Government buildings will be closed.

Fischer noted that a federal investigation into Taylor's death was ongoing and said policies and procedures in Louisville need to change "because Breonna Taylor still should be alive."

The city and the police department had already declared states of emergency and set up barricades restricting vehicle access to downtown areas. Stores and restaurants have boarded up their windows, and some federal buildings closed for the week. Protesters started gathering Wednesday morning, hours before the expected announcement.

Taylor's death set off outrage across the country, chants of "say her name," calls to arrest the officers, and a renewed focus on the Black women killed by police. Her story gained wider attention during nationwide demonstrations that followed the late May killing of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police.

Cameron was named a special prosecutor in the case in May, and the FBI opened an investigation as well. After the announcement of the grand jury's decision FBI Louisville in a statement said the agency "continues to investigate all aspects of the death of Breonna Taylor. Our work will continue beyond the state charges announced today."

In June, Hankison was fired for "wantonly and blindly" firing into Taylor's apartment, Louisville's police chief said. Six officers involved in the incident are under internal investigation, LMPD said on Tuesday.

The city of Louisville announced on Sept. 15 a historic $12 million settlement of the family's wrongful death lawsuit. The city also agreed to enact police reforms which include using social workers to provide support on certain police runs and requiring commanders to review and approve search warrants before seeking judicial approval.

High-risk, forced-entry raid has deadly outcome

Police believed Taylor was home alone when she was in fact accompanied by her boyfriend, who was legally armed, according to a CNN review of the shooting. That miscalculation, along with the decision to press forward with a high-risk, forced-entry raid under questionable circumstances, contributed to the deadly outcome.

Taylor's ex-boyfriend was the actual focus of a narcotics investigation that led officers to execute the warrant on her apartment, where no drugs were found.

Police said a man was shipping drugs to Taylor's apartment to avoid detection of a trafficking ring, according to a police affidavit for a search warrant, which was obtained by CNN.

The search warrant authorized police to search Taylor's apartment, two vehicles, and three people, including Taylor, and to seize, among other things, drugs and drug paraphernalia, money, safes, weapons, documents and computers. The warrant did not specifically connect Taylor to any alleged drug activity, and Taylor's family and their attorney have maintained that she was not involved in her ex-boyfriend's alleged drug trade.

Taylor was sleeping next to her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker III, in the early hours of March 13, when they heard a noise. They both got up and walked to the door.

"She's yelling at the top of her lungs — and I am too at this point — 'who is it?' " recalled Walker, her boyfriend. "No answer. No response. No anything."

Walker told investigators when he heard banging at the door his first thought was that it was Taylor's ex-boyfriend. He was concerned there might be trouble, so he grabbed his gun.

As Walker and Taylor made their way down a hallway toward the front door, Walker said, the door flew off its hinges.

"So I just let off one shot," he said. "I still can't see who it is or anything."

Cameron said Wednesday the officers both knocked and announced their presence at the apartment -- an account he insisted was corroborated by a witness near Taylor's apartment.

After the officers used a battering ram to enter, Mattingly was shot in the leg, severing his femoral artery, he told investigators.

He and the two detectives -- Hankison and Cosgrove -- then fired their guns, according to the CNN review. Taylor was killed and Walker, who was unharmed, dialed 911 and told the operator someone had kicked in the door and shot his girlfriend.

Walker was arrested and, six days later, indicted for the attempted murder of a police officer. The Louisville area's top local prosecutor later agreed to have the indictment against Walker dismissed.

Officer accused of 'blindly' firing 10 shots

Mattingly's attorney, Todd McMurtry, defended his client's conduct.

"Sgt. Mattingly was following orders of superior officers, was not involved in the planning process of the arrest, and at all times followed established police procedures," McMurtry said.

The chaotic police operation that night was exacerbated by Hankison, who was accused by his own department of "blindly" firing 10 bullets into Taylor's apartment from an outdoor patio. Hankison is appealing his termination. His attorney, David Leightty, has declined comment.

The officers were not wearing body cameras, police said.

Lawsuits and legislation bearing Breonna's name

The Louisville city council in June passed Breonna's Law, which banned no-knock warrants and requires officers serving search warrants to wear body cameras.

Taylor's family filed the wrongful death lawsuit two months after her killing, claiming charges of battery, wrongful death, excessive force, negligence and gross negligence. In announcing the $12 million settlement, Fischer, the Louisville mayor, said the city is not admitting wrongdoing.

"I cannot begin to imagine Ms. Palmer's pain," Fischer said, referring to Taylor's mother. "And I am deeply, deeply sorry for Breonna's death."

Taylor, described by relatives as a hard-working, goal-oriented young woman who placed an emphasis on family, had been working as a certified emergency medical technician at the time of her death.

Walker has also filed suit, saying he "lives in constant fear" since he was arrested -- wrongfully, he claims -- for allegedly shooting one of the Louisville officers. Police officials have declined to comment, citing an ongoing investigation and pending litigation.

Walker said in the $10.5 million suit that he was maliciously prosecuted for firing a single bullet with his licensed firearm at "assailants" who "violently broke down the door" after midnight that March morning.

A portrait of Taylor was featured on the cover of the September issue of Oprah Winfrey's "O, The Oprah Magazine," the first time in the magazine's history that anyone but Winfrey has been on the cover. The magazine put up 26 billboards -- one for each year of her life -- around Louisville calling for the officers involved in her killing to be arrested and charged.

Other celebrities have also sought to keep the case in the spotlight, including NBA superstar LeBron James, who -- along with his Los Angeles Lakers teammates -- donned the MAGA hats worn by Trump supporters with the message: "Make America Great Again Arrest The Cops Who Killed Breonna Taylor."

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported which officer fired the shot that killed Breonna Taylor. That shot was fired by Detective Myles Cosgrove, according to Attorney General Daniel Cameron.