Beyoncé wants officers charged in black woman’s death
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Beyoncé has joined the call for charges against officers involved in the shooting of Breonna Taylor, a black woman gunned down by officers who burst into her Kentucky home.
FILE – This July 14, 2019 file photo shows Beyonce at the “Lion King” premiere in London. President Barack Obama along with his wife, Michelle, delivered speeches Sunday, June 7, 2020, during YouTube’s “Dear Class of 2020” virtual ceremony. The duo, along with a wide-ranging, star-studded lineup including Beyoncé, Lady Gaga and Tom Brady, offered inspirational messages in hopes of uplifting new graduates. (Photo by Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP, File)
The superstar said in a letter Sunday to Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron that the three Louisville police officers “must be held accountable for their actions.”
The officers, Jon Mattingly, Brett Hankison and Myles Cosgrove, have been placed on administrative reassignment while the shooting is investigated.
“Your office has both the power and the responsibility to bring justice to Breonna Taylor, and demonstrate the value of a Black woman’s life,” said the letter released on the singer’s website.
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 used of controversial “no-knock” warrants.
Taylor’s aunt, Bianca Austin, has said the family wants the officers fired and prosecuted.
Protests over several days in Louisville were fueled by Taylor’s shooting and the death of George Floyd, a black man in police custody in Minneapolis.
