A Louisville officer involved in the Breonna Taylor shooting insists he and his colleagues did nothing wrong on the night of the deadly raid. On Tuesday morning, Louisville police Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly sent a mass email within his department to defend his actions as well as slam Mayor Greg Fischer, Public Safety Chief Amy Hess, and former Louisville Metro Police Chief Steve Conrad.
The email was sent as Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron prepares to announce whether the state will pursue criminal charges against the officers involved in Taylor's death.
"I'm here to tell you I'm sorry you have to go through this," begins the email, which was addressed to the "LMPD Family." "... I'm sorry for the Mayor, Amy Hess, and Chief Conrad failed us in epic proportions for their own gain and to cover their asses."
He then proceeded to criticize protesters, whom he referred to as "thugs."
"You DO NOT DESERVE to be in this position. The position that allows thugs to get in your face and yell, curse, and degrade you. Throw bricks, bottles, and urine on you and expect you to do nothing ... Your civil rights mean nothing, but the criminal has total autonomy.
"... Regardless of the outcome (of the Kentucky attorney general's decision) today or Wednesday, I know we did the legal, moral and ethical thing that night,” Mattingly continued. "It's sad how the good guys are demonized, and the criminals are canonized."
Mattingly was one of three plain-clothes officers who had raided Taylor's home on as part of a narcotics investigation. Officers were executing a so-called "no-knock" search warrant while 26-year-old Taylor and her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, were sleeping in bed. Walker, who is a licensed gun-owner, reportedly fired a warning shot to scare away what he believed to be intruders. Officers fired back, and wounded Taylor eight times. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Mattingly was reportedly wounded during the raid, which didn't yield any drugs.
Mattingly's lawyer, Kent Wicker, gave a statement to CNN, confirming his client had sent the email.
"Sgt. Mattingly sent an email to his colleagues last evening, expressing his support for them and their work in these difficult times," Wicker said. "As you will recall, he was shot and severely injured while serving this warrant. Like our entire community, he is hopeful that this process moves forward quickly, and that his fellow officers and the people of Louisville remain safe."
