The family of a Louisville police officer who is believed to have fired the shot that killed Breonna Taylor is trying to raise $75,000 to ...
The family of a Louisville police officer who is believed to have fired the shot that killed Breonna Taylor is trying to raise $75,000 to help him retire because he no longer feels safe on the force.
An online fundraiser set up this week is seeking donations to help support Myles Cosgrove after he gives up his job because of the 'countless threats' he's received amid immense public outrage over his involvement in Taylor's killing.
'The family of Detective Myles Cosgrove, an officer involved in the tragic Breonna Taylor case, is starting this fund in order to help secure the safety of Myles and his immediate family going forward,' a post on GiveSendGo reads.
'It has recently become clear that it will be impossible for Myles to safely return to his position serving the community with the Louisville Metro Police Department.
'We hope to raise enough funds to help him purchase the remainder of his service time, or "air-time", so that he can retire from the LMPD and continue to focus on the safety of his family, a family that has been put continually at-risk over the past few months.'
Louisville Police Officer Myles Cosgrove (pictured) is looking to retire from the force after receiving 'countless threats' over his involvement in Breonna Taylor's killing, his family says
Breonna Taylor, 26, was shot and killed on March 13 when Cosgrove and two other Louisville police officers executed a 'no knock' narcotics warrant at her home
Cosgrove's family set up an online fundraiser this week to help him retire from the Louisville Metro Police Department because he no longer feels safe amid fevered outrage over his involvement in Taylor's killing
Cosgrove was one of three Louisville officers who fired shots while executing a 'no knock' narcotics warrant on March 13, striking the 26-year-old EMT six times.
Last week a grand jury cleared Cosgrove and officers John Mattingly and Brett Hankison of charges in Taylor's death, ruling that they were justified in their use of force because the victim's boyfriend opened fire on them first without knowing they were police.
Hankison was the only officer to be charged over the incident as he was hit with three counts of wanton endangerment for firing shots into a neighbor's home.
Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron discussed the findings of the grand jury investigation at a press conference last week, revealing that an FBI analysis confirmed that the fatal shot which struck Taylor near her heart had been fired by Cosgrove.
Cameron noted that a ballistics test performed prior to the FBI analysis failed to come to a conclusion about who fired the fatal shot.
The grand jury decision sparked renewed fury among critics who have demanded justice in Taylor's killing - one of several this year that have highlighted police brutality against black Americans and sparked protests worldwide.
Last week a grand jury cleared Cosgrove and the other two officers involved in the Taylor raid - John Mattingly (left) and Brett Hankison (right) - of charges in her death. Hankison was indicted on three counts of wanton endangerment for firing bullets into a neighbor's home
But Cosgrove's family is now trying to paint him as a victim, saying that they have received 'countless threats' in the past several months.
'Myles' reputation has been completely dismantled and the psychological trauma is something that he will have to cope with for the rest of his life,' the fundraiser states.
'Every day, the threats seem more legitimate and scarier; his family has been doxed and harassed, while the threats remain unrelenting.
'Although Myles may never feel completely safe again, if you can help us reach our goal, we can at least get him on a path to security and allow him to focus on his main objective: the safety of his family.'
The campaign, which has raised more than $7,000 toward its $75,000 goal as of Tuesday afternoon, came to light on Monday as new questions arose over Attorney General Daniel Cameron's handling of the case.
The full description on the GiveSendGo campaign by Cosgrove's family is shown above
Louisville police released this photo of Cosgrove on the night of the Taylor raid
One of the grand jurors involved in last week's long-awaited decision revealed they were not given the option to indict two of the three cops involved in Taylor's killing and said Cameron is misrepresenting their deliberations by claiming they were satisfied neither of the officers should be charged.
The juror made the claims in a court motion calling for Cameron to release all the evidence reviewed by the panel, which the attorney general later agreed to do.
Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron (pictured) on Monday agreed to release transcripts of the grand jury proceedings
In a statement Monday night, Cameron acknowledged that he never asked the grand jury to consider homicide charges against the officers - only recommending a charge of wanton endangerment for Hankison.
He had previously declined to provide details on what charges prosecutors brought to the grand jury to consider when it met last week.
Cameron said the grand jury is meant to be a 'secretive body', but said 'it's apparent that the public interest in this case isn't going to allow that to happen.'
He said a recording of the grand jury proceedings would be released Wednesday and assured that it would put speculation of misconduct to bed.
'Once the public listens to the recording, they will see that over the course of two-and-a-half days, our team presented a thorough and complete case to the grand jury,' Cameron said.
The attorney general also said he wouldn't object if members of the panel want to speak publicly about their grand jury experience.
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