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Several athletes used their social media platforms on Wednesday to voice their frustrations over a Kentucky grand jury’s decision to indict one of three police officers involved in the shooting death of Breonna Taylor with criminal charges.
A Jefferson County grand jury indicted Louisville Metro police Officer Brett Hankison with three counts of wanton endangerment in the first degree for his role in a drug operation that resulted in the death of a Taylor, 26-year-old Black emergency medical worker.
She was shot five times by the officers who entered her home using a no-knock warrant during a narcotics investigation on March 13.
But there was disappointment among professional athletes with the severity of the criminal charges.
“The cops that murdered Breonna Taylor knew this is how it would play out from the moment it happened,” Brooklyn Nets forward Jamal Crawford wrote on Twitter. “They were never worried about justice being served.”
Los Angeles Clippers forward Montrezl Harrell echoed that sentiment saying: “These are the charges you actually come up with? Nothing to say but WOW SPEECHLESS!”
Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson was surprised by the decision, telling ESPN “it’s just crazy” and that he intends to speak about the matter with his teammates.
New York Liberty player Layshia Clarendon called for the police to be “defunded and ultimately abolished” just months after the WNBA dedicated its season to Taylor’s memory.
“This is why police need to be defunded and ultimately abolished! We time and time again hope for a sliver of justice but why would we get that when the system is designed to protect the very folks that are murdering and terrorizing us,” she said in a tweet. “This isn’t a bad apple, it’s a rotten tree.”
Protesters in Louisville and across the country have demanded justice for Taylor and other victims of police brutality. The release in late May of a 911 call by Taylor’s boyfriend marked the beginning of days of protests in Louisville, fueled by her shooting and the violent death of George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25.
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Hankison, if convicted, could face up to five years on each of count.
Fox News’ Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.