Beyoncé called for the prosecution of the Louisville police officers involved in the death of Breonna Taylor in an open letter to the attorney general of Kentucky on Sunday.
In the letter, posted on the singer’s official website, Beyoncé addressed Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, and demanded justice for Taylor’s family, who have “not been able to take time to process and grieve.”
“Three months have passed — and the LMPD’s investigations have created more questions than answers,” Beyoncé wrote. “Their incident report states that Ms. Taylor suffered no injuries — yet we know she was shot at least eight times.”
“The LMPD officers claim they announced themselves before forcing their way into Ms. Taylor’s apartment — but her boyfriend who was with her, as well as several neighbors, all say that this is untrue.”
“Three months have passed — and zero arrests have been made, and no officers have been fired,” the Grammy winner added. “The LMPD’s investigation was turned over to your office, and yet all of the officers involved in the shooting remain employed by the LMPD. Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly and Officers Myles Cosgrove and Brett Hankison must be held accountable for their actions.”
The mother of three called on Cameron to bring criminal charges against all three officers, transparency in the investigation of Taylor’s death, and the practices “that result in the repeated deaths of unarmed Black citizens.”
“Don’t let this case fall into the pattern of no action after a terrible tragedy,” Beyoncé said. “With every death of a Black person at the hands of the police, there are two real tragedies: the death itself, and the inaction and delays that follow it.
“This is your chance to end that pattern. Take swift and decisive action in charging the officers. The next months cannot look like the last three.”
Taylor, 26, who was studying to become a nurse, was shot eight times by officers conducting a narcotics investigation on March 13. No drugs were found at her home.
The city of Louisville last week banned the use of controversial “no-knock” warrants.