Media, PA Defense Attorney Latoison Discusses Grand Jury Charges in Breonna Taylor Case

Transcript:

The Breonna Taylor case has become a focus of the fight for racial justice for more than six months now. Taylor was with her boyfriend in her Louisville apartment when she was killed in a botched raid and shootout just after midnight on March 13 of this year. Three officers on a narcotics investigation were serving a warrant at her apartment. Six days later, Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, was charged with attempted murder of a police officer. But after a national outcry, those charges were dropped in June. Two of the officers involved were placed on administrative reassignment, and Officer Brett Hankison, who was charged today, was terminated. Just last week, Taylor’s family reached a multi-million dollar settlement with the city of Louisville that included several changes to its police department.

And today, more than six months after her death, Officer Hankison was indicted in the case. To help us understand this charge and the reasoning behind it, we are joined by defense attorney Enrique Latoison. Enrique, give us your reaction when you heard this, and explain what these charges mean to you.

Enrique Latoison: I was very surprised when I heard about the charges today. Based on all the information that has come out over the last six months and everything that was reported, I did expect some murder charges in this particular situation. Now, of course, this is a grand jury case. The grand jury is the one that decides who will be charged in this matter. The grand jury had many months to review a lot of evidence, which we are not allowed to see. So, these are the charges that came out—one charge for one officer. I was definitely surprised by the outcome in this particular case.

Interviewer: The anger and frustration have been visible in the streets for months now, Enrique, and we know the Taylor family has been calling for a manslaughter charge. But would it, in fact, be harder for the prosecution to get a conviction on manslaughter?

Enrique Latoison: It would be, in this particular situation. It’s important to break down what took place in this case. We had a no-knock warrant, and when they came in with the no-knock warrant, there’s a discrepancy about whether they announced themselves or not. Essentially, what the grand jury is saying—based on reports—is that once Mr. Walker fired and hit the officer, the officers then returned fire. Because they were fired upon, the grand jury decided that the police officers had done nothing wrong in relation to what took place with Ms. Taylor and Mr. Walker.

What they did say was that the careless shooting from one officer, where bullets entered the neighbor’s apartment, was reckless. That’s why he was charged. When you break down how they’re handling this case, they’re essentially saying that because Mr. Walker fired first and the officers fired back, this is an accident and a tragic circumstance. That’s why there’s only one officer charged at this point.

Interviewer: Enrique, you mentioned that we weren’t allowed to see what the grand jury saw and that we don’t know everything that went into the case because it was decided by a secret grand jury. Is there a transparency issue that the legal system needs to address based on how grand juries operate?

Enrique Latoison: I definitely believe that, while the process is taking place, it should remain secretive. However, once it’s completed, everything should be transparent. This way, no one looking from the outside can question what exactly took place. In this particular case, the District Attorney’s office was very careful to emphasize that they took a long time to present this case, which went on for many months. They essentially stated that they tried to give all the information to the grand jury so that the process wouldn’t be rushed. Therefore, they’re standing by the grand jury coming back with only one charge against one officer because they believe they provided all the necessary information to allow the grand jury to make a decision in this matter.

Interviewer: A decision today, but we know there’s much more to come. Enrique Latoison, thank you for your insights.

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