MCCONNELL ON SENATE FLOOR - 9-24-2020.jpeg

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell stands behind the investigation into the death of Breonna Taylor, calling it "thorough" and "impartial."

McConnell, R-Ky., spoke on the floor of the U.S. Senate on Thursday after learning about the shooting of two Louisville Metro Police officers during protests on Wednesday night. Both officers are expected to be OK, according to LMPD interim Chief Robert Schroeder. 

"Kentucky's Attorney General, Daniel Cameron, conducted exactly the kind of thorough, impartial investigation that justice demands," McConnell said. "Yesterday, that chapter concluded, and the grand jury conducted the handoff to criminal prosecution. I have full confidence in the Attorney General's painstaking pursuit of facts and justice.

McConnell also said that people are entitled to their right to channel anger and grief into protesting the grand jury's decision — if they do it peacefully.

"Peaceful protests honor the memory of Breonna Taylor. Peaceful protests move us toward justice," he said. "Smashing windows does not. Setting fires does not. Rioting in the streets does not. And trying to gun down law enforcement officers who are bravely serving their community is the kind of despicable cowardice that must be met with the full force of the law." 

McConnell also thanked officers in Kentucky who put their lives on the line each day.

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding protests in Louisville:

Protesters took to Louisville's streets Wednesday after a grand jury ruled that two officers who fired their weapons at Taylor, a Black woman, were justified in using force to protect themselves after they faced gunfire from her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker. 

The only charges in the case were three counts of wanton endangerment against fired LMPD detective Brett Hankison for shooting into a home next to Taylor's with people inside.

The FBI is still investigating potential violations of federal law in connection with the March 13 raid at Taylor's home. 

Ben Crump, a lawyer for Taylor's family, denounced the decision as "outrageous and offensive," and protesters shouting, "No justice, no peace!" immediately marched through the streets.

Scuffles broke out between police and protesters, and some were arrested. Officers fired flash bangs and a few small fires burned in a square that's been at the center of protests, but it had largely cleared out ahead of a nighttime curfew as demonstrators marched through other parts of downtown Louisville. Dozens of patrol cars blocked the city's major thoroughfare.

Demonstrators also marched in cities like New York, Chicago, Atlanta and Philadelphia. And protesters set up outside McConnell's home in Washington, D.C. on Thursday morning. 

Taylor, an emergency medical worker, was shot multiple times by white officers who entered her home during a narcotics investigation. While the officers had a no-knock warrant, Cameron said the investigation showed they announced themselves before entering. The warrant used to search her home was connected to a suspect who did not live there, and no drugs were found inside.

Along with the killing of George Floyd in Minnesota, Taylor's case became a major touchstone for nationwide protests that have drawn attention to entrenched racism and demanded police reform. Taylor's image has been painted on streets, emblazoned on protest signs and silk-screened on T-shirts worn by celebrities. Several prominent African American celebrities joined those urging that the officers be charged.

Related stories: 

Copyright 2020 WDRB Media. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All Rights Reserved.