Ballistics in Breonna Taylor case don’t match Kentucky AG’s claim boyfriend shot officer: report

The ballistics report from the Kentucky State Police does not match Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron’s (R) comments that Breonna Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, shot a Louisville police officer the night Taylor was killed in her home, according to reports. 

The report states that “due to limited markings of comparative value,” the 9 mm bullet that hit officer Jonathan Mattingly’s thigh was neither “identified nor eliminated as having been fired” from Walker’s gun, according to the Louisville Courier Journal. 

Cameron had told reporters the investigation into Taylor’s death ruled out any “friendly fire” from former officer Brett Hankison as the source of the shot that went through Mattingly’s thigh and prompted him and officer Myles Cosgrove to return fire. Cameron had said Hankison had been eliminated as the shooter because the three officers were all carrying .40-caliber handguns, while Walker had a 9 mm, the newspaper noted. 

But last week, Steve Romines, one of Walker’s attorneys, said he had obtained a Louisville Metro Police Department record that said Hankinson had also been issued a 9 mm firearm, though he declined to share the document with the Courier Journal.

The ballistics report was first reported by Vice News. The outlet published screenshots of a portion of the report provided by Walker’s other attorney Rob Eggert. 

Romines also told ABC News on Sunday the state police’s ballistics report “could not determine that Kenny’s shot is who hit Officer Mattingly.”

A Kentucky grand jury last week did not bring charges against the officers in the killing of Taylor. They announced three lesser counts of wanton endangerment against Hankison not directly tied to the fatal shooting of Taylor. 

Mattingly and Cosgrove fired six and 15 shots, respectively. Cameron said Taylor was shot six times, though only one of the bullet wounds proved to be fatal. 

Cameron said Cosgrove fired the fatal shot but said both Cosgrove and Mattingly were justified in their use of deadly force under Kentucky law because Walker had fired first.