‘Bulls***’: Viola Davis and Kerry Washington lead furious celebrity reaction to Breonna Taylor case

Celebrities are reacting after news that a Kentucky grand jury will indict only one of the police officers being investigated for their roles in the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor.

Viola Davis expressed her outrage online, calling the outcome a ‘Bulls*** decision!!!’

‘BLACK LIVES MATTER!!! Cannot be said enough times,’ the Oscar-winning actress, 55, went on, also reposting messages from the NAACP and TV One.

Leaders in Louisville, Kentucky and across the nation are now bracing themselves for widespread protests and unrest in the wake of the grand jury’s outcome, which came over four months after the 26-year-old EMT’s death.

Shortly after news of the verdict, Louisville mayor Greg Fischer declared a citywide 9pm curfew will be in place for the next 72hours. 

Fellow star Kerry Washington expressed her anger while sharing a post by the ACLU, which said: ‘Today’s verdict is not accountability and not close to justice.’

Later she criticized Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron for acting politically, tweeting: ‘Daniel Cameron is on Donald Trump´s short list as replacement of #RGB on the Supreme Court. The same man who decided to not charge the officers responsible for killing #BreonnaTaylor. Vote.’ 

Activist/actress Yara Shahidi, 20, called the decision ‘insulting,’ telling her half-a-million Twitter followers: ‘What is most insulting is that the recommended charges aren’t even in response to the MURDER of Breonna Taylor, but to the POTENTIAL injury of other people in the apartment…..’

Louisville detective Brett Hankinson was not indicted for involvement in Taylor’s death but on three counts of the class D felony of wanton endangerment for ‘wantonly firing his gun’ into an adjoining apartment.

A follow-up tweet compared the controversial ‘no knock warrant’ that lead to Breonna’s wrongful death to the oppressive impact of institutional racism in the US.

‘”No knock warrants” feels analogous to the experience of being Black in America,’ she wrote, ‘The unsolicited intrusion of racism and violence dealt with on a daily basis.’

Director Ava DuVernay sent a compassionate message to Breonna’s loved ones, tweeting: ‘God bless Breonna’s family and all who knew and loved her. 

‘Her tragic death compounded by the violence of silence and inaction by the city she called home is more than any of them should have to endure.

The 13th director shared an emotional and inspiring message along with glowing photo of Taylor shortly after.

Ava wrote: ‘Our sis. We live in a world of crooks with titles and criminals with badges that will not give you justice today. But justice will come. And it will come from us. 

‘Pushing and pulling, plotting and protesting, piercing the blue walls designed to terrorize us. Justice will come. Not today. But it will. 

‘Until then, we give you what we can. We give you glory. That word means that we will take pride in you. We will honor you. We will never forget you. We can give you this today. And tomorrow. And onward.’

Oprah Winfrey was direct, sharing a photo of Breonna and writing: ‘This is unacceptable.’

Common shared a poignant quote from writer James Baldwin, tweeting: ‘”To be a Negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in a state of rage almost all of the time.” James Baldwin. #BreonnaTaylor.’

He followed up with another searing quote from Malcom X, which said: ‘If you stick a knife in my back 9 in and pull it out 6 in, there’s no progress. 

‘If you pull it all the way out, that’s not progress. The progress is healing the wound that the blow made. They won’t even admit the knife is there.’

A quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. followed: ‘Law and order exist for the purpose of establishing justice and when they fail in this purpose they become the dangerously structured dams that block the flow of social progress.’

MLK’s daughter Bernice King herself shared her grief for Taylor’s family, writing: ‘Praying for Breonna’s mother and family. Because they knew and loved her before her name became a hashtag.’

Journalist Jemele Hill wrote: ‘The state of Kentucky deemed the lives of Breonna Taylor’s neighbors to be worth more than her own. Let that sink in.’

Then she reminded the public that Attorney General is an elected position in Kentucky, urging citizens to vote Daniel Cameron out of office.

Top Chef host/judge Padma Lakshmi wrote: ‘What we saw today was not justice. May Breonna Taylor’s spirit rest in power as we all continue the fight #justiceforbreonnataylor.’

Singer Jojo was disturbed by the fact Hankinson will only be facing wanton endangerment charges. 

She tweeted out the legal definition of wanton endangerment to her followers to illustrate her point.

The Leave (Get Out) singer’s next post said: ‘BREONNA TAYLOR. She deserves better. She should be alive. Bare minimum. But since she isn’t- I’m praying for her family. Praying for #LouisvilleKy’ 

Jojo then accused Twitter of censoring messages regarding the Taylor case, 20minutes later writing: ‘Wow is twitter censoring tweets about Breonna Taylor rn??? Where did my tweets go?’

She followed that up with ‘love to Breonna’s family. To Louisville,’ before finishing by saying: ‘wow. This is America.’

Actress Yvette Nicole Brown was incensed, writing: ‘No. Officers. Charged. In. The. Killing. Of. #BreonnaTaylor. One. Was. Charged. For. Endangering. But. NOT. Killing. Her. Neighbors. #MakeMeWannaHollerAndThrowUpBothMyHands.’

Singer/This Is Us star Mandy Moore was speechless, telling the public: ‘I don´t have the words. #BreonnaTaylor and her family deserve justice.’

On Instagram Mandy shared a portrait Breonna with the caption voicing her support for Black Lives Matter, captioning the post: ‘Today’s news is devastating and infuriating and indicative of a miserably broken system. 

‘Breonna Taylor’s life had value. She and her family deserve justice. Black women matter. Black Lives matter.’

‘So, no one is responsible for killing #BreonnaTaylor ?’ wondered Mia Farrow.

‘Disgusted. Enraged. Heartbroken,’ Dan Levy wrote, then urging followers to contribute to the Louisville Community Bail Fund. ‘Please contribute if you can. Justice should not be a luxury. #BreonnaTaylor’

And as the messages poured in, Kentucky AG Daniel Cameron was quick to denounce critics in remarks made shortly after the grand jury’s decision.

‘There will be celebrities, influencers and activists who having never lived in Kentucky will try to tell us how to feel, suggesting they understand the facts of this case, that they know our community and the Commonwealth better than we do, but they don’t,’ Cameron said. 

‘Let’s not give in to their attempts to influence our thinking or capture our emotions.’

In response to that, Kentucky native George Clooney offered a scathing response where he said he was ‘ashamed’ by the outcome of the grand jury.

‘I was born and raised in Kentucky,’ he wrote in a statement shared with the media. ‘Cut tobacco on the farms of Kentucky. Both my parents and my sister live in Kentucky. I own a home in Kentucky, and I was there last month. ‘

‘The justice system I was raised to believe in holds people responsible for their actions,’ he went on.

‘Her name was Breonna Taylor and she was shot to death in her bed by 3 white police officers, who will not be charged with any crime for her death. I know the community. I know the commonwealth. And I was taught in the schools and churches of Kentucky what is right and what is wrong. I’m ashamed of this decision.’

Kentucky’s Jefferson County Circuit Judge Annie O’Connell on Wednesday announced the grand jury’s decision to charge former detective Brett Hankison with three counts of wanton endangerment in connection to the police raid on the night of March 13. 

The first-degree charge, a Class D felony which carries a penalty of up to five years in prison, relates to Hankinson shooting into the neighboring apartments during the incident, not Taylor’s death.  

Hankinson was fired by the Louisville Metro Police Department in June after officials said he violated policy by ‘wantonly and blindly’ firing his gun during the raid.  

Sgt Jonathan Mattingly and Detective Myles Cosgrove, who were also present at the time of the fatal operation, were not charged.

Neither the grand jury nor the presiding judge elaborated on the charges.

State Attorney General Daniel Cameron addressed the long-awaited decision shortly after the announcement in a news conference in Frankfort.

He gave a detailed account of the months-long investigation into the events leading up to deadly shooting, which he said had been pieced together by ballistics reports, 911 calls, and witness interviews, due to the lack of bodycam footage. 

But Cameron, who is the state’s first Black attorney general, said that the officers were not charged because they acted in self-defense after Taylor’s boyfriend fired at them.  

‘I certainly understand the pain that has been brought about by the tragic loss of Miss Taylor. I understand that as an attorney general … I understand that as a black man,’ Cameron told reporters. 

‘This team, myself, and the representatives of the Attorney General’s office have taken a lot of criticism and scrutiny. But that scrutiny in many ways was misplaced because there was not a day that people in this office didn’t go to sleep thinking about this case. 

‘Criminal law is not meant to respond to every sorrow and grief, and that is true here. But my heart breaks for the loss of Miss Taylor,’ the AG said. 

Investigators believe Cosgrove was responsible for firing the bullet that took Taylor’s life. Taylor was shot at least five times after officers barged into her apartment while acting on a search warrant for a drug investigation. 

Her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, opened fire when police burst in, hitting Mattingly. Walker was charged with attempted murder of a police officer, but prosecutors later dropped the charge.

Walker had told police he heard knocking but didn’t know who was coming into the home and fired in self-defense. 

Cameron said Cosgrove and Mattingly were not charged after investigators determined their actions were justified because Walker opened fire.

‘According to Kentucky law, the use of force by (Officers Jonathan) Mattingly and (Myles) Cosgrove was justified to protect themselves,’ he said. ‘This justification bars us from pursuing criminal charges in Miss Breonna Taylor’s death.’

The three officers did not take part in the obtaining of the warrant, he said. 

The raid had been widely reported by the media as a ‘no-knock’ warrant however, further investigations later proved the cops had knocked before entering.  

Walker had also told investigators he did hear knocking, but maintained the cops had not identify themselves as police. 

They knocked on Taylor’s apartment door and announced their presence outside, which Cameron said was corroborated by a neighbor who witnessed the arrival.  

Getting no answer, Cameron said police officers ‘breached the door’ and gained entry into the apartment. 

Mattingly entered first, and at the end of a corridor saw Taylor and with Walker who was pointing a gun.

Walker fired, injuring Mattingly in the thigh. Mattingly returned fire, and his colleagues began shooting soon after, Cameron said. Hankison fired 10 bullets, Cameron said.

Six bullets hit Taylor, though there is no ‘conclusive’ evidence that any came from Hankinson’s gun, Cameron said. Bullets fired by Hankison traveled into a neighboring apartment. 

Along with the killing of George Floyd in Minnesota, Taylor’s case became a major touchstone for the nationwide protests that have gripped the nation since May – drawing attention to entrenched racism and demanding police reform.  

The wanton endangerment charges each carry a sentence of up to five years. Protesters began marching through the streets of Louisville, where Taylor was killed, after the announcement, shouting ‘No justice, no peace.’ Some sat quietly and cried.

Attorney Ben Crump, who is representing Taylor’s family, called the grand jury’s decision ‘outrageous and offensive!’

‘Justice has NOT been served,’ tweeted Linda Sarsour of Until Freedom, a group that has pushed for charges in the case 

Meanwhile in Louisville, officials had been bracing for more protests and possible unrest as the public nervously awaits the decision.  

In a midday press conference, Mayor Greg Fischer announced he will impose a 72-hour curfew in the city, from 9pm to 6.30am. 

‘No matter what Attorney General Cameron announces, I urge everyone to commit, once again, to a peaceful, lawful response,’ the mayor told reporters. 

While emphasizing he does not know the grand jury’s finding, the mayor has declared a state of emergency in the city, and Louisville Metro Police Department has closed off much of downtown to vehicles. 

Taylor, 26, was killed shortly after midnight on March 13 when three plainclothes officers used a battering ram to force their way in to her Louisville home with a so-called no knock warrant. 

Fearing intruders, her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, fired a gun. The three officers fired their guns, striking Taylor five times.

Cameron, a Black Republican, has said his investigation into Taylor’s death is ongoing, but has declined to confirm media reports that he is convening a grand jury to vote on whether to bring criminal charges against the officers.

The city’s main federal courthouse has also been closed all week in an order by Chief Judge Greg Stivers of the Western District of Kentucky.

Last week, the city of Louisville agreed to pay Taylor’s family a record-breaking $12million in a wrongful death lawsuit that her mother Tamika Palmer filed against the city and its police department back in April.  

At a September 15 press conference announcing the settlement, Palmer repeated her plea for charges to be brought against the officers involved in her daughter’s death. 

‘As significant as today is, it is only the beginning,’ Palmer said. ‘We must not lose focus on what the real job is, and with that being said, it’s time to move forward with the criminal charges, because she deserves that and much more.’ 

In addition to the $12million, the settlement will also include a series of police reforms for Louisville. 

Among the reforms is a requirement that police commanders must approve all search warrants before they are sent to a judge. 

Mayor Greg Fischer stated that the settlement had nothing to do with Cameron’s criminal investigation and said the city would be enacting reforms regardless of the outcome.  

‘I’m deeply, deeply sorry for Breonna’s death,’ Fischer said. ‘My administration is not waiting to move ahead with needed reforms to prevent a tragedy like this from ever happening again.’ 

As part of the settlement, the mayor said Louisville police officers will be offered housing credits to move to some of the poorest parts of the city in the hopes of improving community ties.