When the Breonna Taylor case first came to public attention the story was that the police executed a no-knock warrant. Breonna's boyfriend heard the commotion and thinking that there was a break in in progress, pulled his gun and shot at the officers in self-defense. In the exchange of gunfire, Breonna was hit and died.
I've been against no-knock searches as a matter of principle. The constitution says that our persons and places (effects) cannot be searched nor siezed without a warrant based upon probable cause.
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
As I've pointed out, I'm a big stickler for constitutional things like "shall not be abridged" and "shall not be infringed" and the like. Here' like those statements, the Constitution is clear as day that our right to be secure in our PERSONS, HOUSES, papers and effects SHALL NOT BE VIOLATED.
So if you were bent out of shape about Taylor having police barge in her house unannounced but are fine with gun right infringements and speech and assembly infringements, you can have a whole entire row of seats and be quiet.
So that was the story. Well now we have a grand jury indictment and things aren't what they were said to be.
The only charges brought by the grand jury were three counts of wanton endangerment against fired Officer Brett Hankison for shooting into Taylor’s neighbors’ homes during the raid on the night of March 13.Now when I first read that I had to look twice because THAT was very odd. The entire uproar was about shooting Breonna. Why wasn't there anything related to her? Look, Grand Juries get to hear the case made by the state. Those being charged (or considered for charges) really have no say. So if the state had any kind of compelling case to make in direct response to Taylor's killing, they would have done so. This meant that as far as the state was concerned the killing of Breonna was a justified homicide.
That's a pretty strong indicator that not everything we were told was..ahem...factual.
Taylor, an emergency medical worker, was shot multiple times by white officers who entered her home on a no-knock warrant during a narcotics investigation — although state Attorney General Daniel Cameron said Wednesday the investigation showed the officers did announce themselves before entering. [ my emphasis]
Well if the investigation shows it was an announced raid, then that changes a lot of things. Now it's entirely possible that when they announced themselves they were not heard. I have not seen any footage to know if that was the case. However; given the grand jury's indictment I would think there is evidence to that fact.
The warrant used to search her home was connected to a suspect who did not live there, and no drugs were found inside.I'm going to be honest here. I have heard things that say that Breonna at a bare minimum was an associate of a known drug dealer. I never posted anything about that because I could not prove it. I still cannot prove it BUT the fact that they said it was in connection with a suspect "who did not live there" rather than the warrant used to search her home was for a DIFFERENT address, underscores that it is highly likely there was some shady business going on at the Taylor household.
From CNN:
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.
The question will be what did Taylor know and when did she know it. Unfortunately she's not here to say. As a side note THIS is why you steer clear of shady people. Even when they LEAVE (or you leave them) you can still have blow back.
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.
I hope for Walker's sake that he hasn't been caught in a lie. 'Cause if the witness can convince a jury that the police announced themselves and the defense attorney ties that with Walker's claim that they asked who it was and heard no response, it's called an acquittal. Get used to it.
This indictment should also be kept in mind in regards to the Chauvin case. If he shows he followed police policy, he cannot be held liable for Floyd's death.