Decision in Breonna Taylor case sparks new protests; Hong Kong police arrested Joshua Wong; North Korean troops shot and killed a South Korean official
Demonstrators march on the Williamsburg Bridge during a protest following a Kentucky grand jury’s decision on the killing of Breonna Taylor, New York City, Sept. 23, 2020.
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Global eyes are on renewed racial justice protests in the US, with demonstrations again erupting in several cities around the country in response to Wednesday’s announcement by Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron that the two officers who shot and killed Breonna Taylor in March would not be criminally charged with her killing. During the protests on Wednesday following the announcement, two Louisville police officers were shot and wounded. A suspect has been arrested and the officers’ injuries are not life-threatening.
Six months after the fatal shooting in Louisville, a grand jury decided only one of the officers, Brett Hankison, would be charged with anything — three counts of wanton endangerment for firing his gun toward another home that had residents inside. Cameron stated that the two other officers were justified in using their guns after Kenneth Walker, Taylor’s boyfriend, fired his weapon at them.
In addition to the brutal killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May, the Taylor case was one of the most high-profile recent examples of police misconduct that stirred mass marches against systemic racism and police brutality, as well as calls for reforming law enforcement. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represents Taylor’s family, said the grand jury’s “sham proceeding” does not qualify as justice in the case.
Breonna Taylor, 26, was an emergency medical technician whose death came when police carried out a no-knock warrant at her apartment as part of a larger drug sting. She was shot six times before dying. Sgt. John Mattingly, who entered the residence after the door was broken down, was shot once in the leg by Walker — who has said he was trying to ward off an intruder. The officers fired a total of 32 shots in the incident.
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Hong Kong police arrested Joshua Wong and a second pro-democracy activist on Thursday for having joined a rally last October. Though released several hours after being detained, Wong faces several charges, including one for violating a ban on masks that was intended to stop protesters from gathering. A new national security law imposed over the summer by China erodes freedoms of speech, press and assembly.
And, North Korean troops shot and killed a South Korean official allegedly trying to defect to Pyongyang before setting his body on fire out of fear that he had the coronavirus. South Korean President Moon Jae-in described the incident as a “deeply regrettable act that cannot be tolerated,” with his defense ministry urging punishment for the perpetrators.
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