'Bad policing': Major police killings as US marks anniversary of Breonna Taylor’s death

By Darren Lyn

HOUSTON, US (AA) - Breonna Taylor was killed three years ago on March 13, 2020 when she was shot to death by the Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) while sleeping in her apartment during a botched drug raid in the US state of Kentucky.

The LMPD said they announced their presence, but Taylor's boyfriend claimed he did not hear them knock and fired a warning shot with his gun. Officers returned fire with 32 gunshots, six of them striking and killing Taylor.

The three officers -- Brett Hankison, Myles Cosgrove and Jonathan Mattingly -- were acquitted, with Hankison being fired from the police force for blindly firing into the apartment.

Taylor’s family received a $12 million wrongful death settlement even though the city did not make an admission of wrongdoing.

"Breonna Taylor’s case is a case study on bad policing," said Ron Jackson, a political activist and radio talk show host in Houston, Texas.

In an e-mail interview with Anadolu, Jackson pointed out that just last week a US Department of Justice investigation found that the LMPD discriminates against Black people, including using unjustified neck restraints, conducting searches based on invalid warrants and executing search warrants without knocking and announcing.

"Black citizens were disrespected by officers and even called 'monkeys’ and ‘boys’!" said Jackson, adding he is not surprised the LMPD officers were not charged.

"Officers not being charged in Breonna’s case is common practice," he said. "Police officers hide behind their shields with laws from their police unions as well as 'qualified immunity' -- a legal principle for government officials in certain discretionary functions that limits victims from holding officers accountable."

"Police officers also have the 'go-to playbook' of 'I was in fear of my life, that’s why I shot him,’” Jackson continued.

Over the past decade, there have been numerous killings of Black people in the US at the hands of police. Here is a look at 10 of the most high-profile cases.

1) Eric Garner - July 17, 2014: Eric Garner uttered the words “I can’t breathe” 11 times as NYPD Officer Daniel Pantaleo pinned him to the ground in New York City on suspicion of illegally selling cigarettes. Garner’s death was ruled a homicide, but a grand jury decided not to prosecute Pantaleo, who was later fired by the NYPD. Garner’s family received a $5.9 million out-of-court settlement.

2) Tamir Rice - Nov. 22, 2014: 12-year-old Tamir Rice was shot and killed by Cleveland, Ohio police officer Timothy Loehmann after reports that Rice was wielding a gun, which turned out to be a toy. A grand jury declined to indict Loehmann primarily on the basis that Rice drew his gun and pointed it at police. Rice’s family received a $6 million settlement from the city of Cleveland.

3) Eric Harris - April 2, 2015: Eric Harris was unarmed and on the ground when he was shot in the back and killed in Tulsa, Oklahoma by 73-year-old Reserve Deputy Robert Charles Bates, who said he confused his gun for a taser and said after the shooting “Oh, I shot him! I’m sorry.” Bates was found guilty of second degree manslaughter and sentenced to four years in prison.

4) Freddie Gray - April 12, 2015: Freddie Gray was arrested in Baltimore, Maryland for possession of a knife, but 45 minutes after he was transported in a van to the police station, he was found unconscious and not breathing, his spinal cord almost severed. He died seven days later while in a coma. The medical examiner’s office ruled Gray’s death a homicide, but the six officers charged were not convicted. Gray’s family received a $6.4 million wrongful death lawsuit settlement.

"It is disturbing in some cases where an officer can be convicted and acquitted of the same crime," said Jackson. "An officer can be innocent of criminal charges and guilty of civil charges."

5) Alton Sterling - July 5, 2016: Alton Sterling was shot and killed by two Baton Rouge, Louisiana police officers who claim Sterling reached for a loaded handgun in his pocket while they were trying to subdue him. Neither of the officers were charged in his death, but the city of Baton Rouge settled a $4.5 million wrongful death lawsuit with Sterling’s family.

6) Philando Castile - July 6, 2016: Philando Castile was fatally shot during a traffic stop in suburban Minneapolis, Minnesota by police officer Jeronimo Yanez after Castile told him he had a license to carry a weapon and reached for his pocket. Yanez was acquitted of second-degree manslaughter charges and fired by the City of St. Anthony Police Department. Castile’s family received a $3.8 million wrongful death settlement.

7) Botham Jean - Sept. 6, 2018: Botham Jean was fatally shot in his Dallas, Texas apartment after off-duty police officer Amber Guyger entered his apartment, saying she thought she was in her place and shot Jean, believing him to be a burglar. Guyger was found guilty of murder and sentenced to 10 years in prison.

"When I look at the list of Black people killed by police, the first thing that comes to mind is Black lives STILL don’t matter!" said Jackson. "The police system in America has a history of racism."

8) George Floyd - May 25, 2020: George Floyd was subdued with a knee to the neck for nine minutes by Minneapolis, Minnesota police officer Derek Chauvin, who was found guilty of murder and sentenced to 22 years in prison. Three other officers involved in Floyd’s death -- J. Alexander Kueng, Tou Thao and Thomas Lane -- were convicted in federal court of violating Floyd’s civil rights and are all serving prison sentences. Floyd’s family settled a $27 million wrongful death lawsuit with the city of Minneapolis.

9) Daunte Wright - April 11, 2021: Daunte Wright was shot and killed by Brooklyn Center, Minnesota police officer Kim Potter during a traffic stop, in which Potter claims she accidentally shot Wright, believing she was using her taser instead of her handgun. Potter was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 10 years in prison.

10) Tyre Nichols - Jan. 10, 2023: Tyre Nichols was pulled over for suspected reckless driving on Jan. 7 by five Memphis, Tennessee police officers who savagely beat him -- kicking, punching, hitting him with a baton and pepper spraying him. Nichols died of his injuries three days later. The five officers -- Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Justin Smith, Emmitt Martin III and Desmond Mills Jr. -- were charged with second degree murder and await trial.

All five officers were Black, which Jackson said adds the element of police brutality to a system already wrought with racism.

"The Tyre Nichols case exposes the police officers’ mentality issue," he explained. "Policing as well as other professions’ sense of power many times go unchecked. Many police officers embody the philosophy of 'I am the law!'"