LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Louisville Metro Police Chief Erika Shields has reprimanded the sergeant who was shot during the raid on Breonna Taylor’s apartment for an email he sent that was critical of department leadership.
In the email, Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly told all sworn officers that he and others involved in the raid "did the legal, moral and ethical thing" the night Taylor was shot and killed. Mattingly sent the email the day before a Jefferson County grand jury's decision in the Taylor case was made public.
Mattingly was shot in the leg during the March 13, 2020, raid by Taylor’s boyfriend, who said he feared an intruder was breaking into the apartment and fired a single shot when officers used a battering ram to break down the door.
Mattingly and two other officers combined to return 32 shots. Taylor, a Black woman, was hit six times and died in her hallway.
In his email, Mattingly also criticized the Mayor Greg Fischer, Chief of Public Safety Amy Hess and former LMPD Chief Steve Conrad, saying they "failed all of us in epic proportions for their own gain and to cover their asses."
"It’s sad how the good guys are demonized, and criminals are canonized," Mattingly wrote in the email, which was obtained by WDRB News.
Shields found Mattingly in violation of the department’s policy for email usage. Mattingly received a letter of reprimand on March 29. It said he sent an email to all sworn officers "that did not serve any business purpose."
Mattingly remains on the department; he was reassigned to the property room.
When Mattingly's email was first made public, his attorney, Kent Wicker, said the sergeant was "expressing his support for (his colleagues) and their work in these difficult times."
"As you know, Sgt. Mattingly was shot and severely wounded while serving this warrant," Wicker told WDRB News in September 2020. "Like our entire community, he is hopeful that this process moves forward quickly, and that his fellow officers and the people of Louisville remain safe."
Mattingly said in an October interview with ABC News and the Louisville Courier Journal that his use of the word "moral" in the email was not about Taylor’s death, but rather the officers being there "to take deadly drugs off the streets."
No drugs or money were found at the apartment, according to a police inventory log.
The Jefferson County grand jury indicted one officer involved in the raid, former detective Brett Hankison, with three felony counts of wanton endangerment for shooting into an apartment neighboring Taylor's. Hankison has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
No one has been criminally charged in connection to Taylor's death, which remains under federal investigation.
Related Stories:
The Associated Press contributed to this report. Copyright 2021 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.
