This past week, the world received disheartening news. As I sat down to lunch with a friend, we opened our phones to catch up with the world we had been away from hours before. While scrolling through Instagram, my friend asks, “Did you see what happened to Breonna’s killers?”. I had not. I immediately opened Twitter to read whatever headlines were trending at the moment. We were both extremely excited as we thought that Breonna had finally received the justice she deserves. As we began to read the headlines, we soon realized that she had not received what she so desperately needed.
Upon further reading, we discovered the following; Brett Hankison was charged with three counts of wanton endangerment in the first degree for recklessly firing his firearm in Breonna’s home. Hankison was placed in custody, but has since been released from Shelby County Detention Center after a $15,000 bail was posted. The Kentucky grand jury brought no charges against the other offices involved. Jonathan Mattigly and Myles Cosgrove walked away without any sentence. The officers were not charged as Kentucky law deemed their actions as “self-defense.”
This is not enough. Breonna Taylor was shot dead in her own home. She didn’t get to wake up to the sound of her alarm clock. She didn’t get to wake up smiling next to the man she loved. She didn’t get to say goodbye. She was sentenced to die before her time.
Her murderers must be held accountable. Her murderers must face the consequences of what they did. They must be held responsible for their carelessness. We live in a world where crimes go unpunished by those who are not only above the law but by those who are the law. These men should be charged. No doubt about it.
No justice, no peace. Let the punishment fit the crime.