Grammy award winner, Beyonce Knowles-Carter, has penned an open letter to Kentucky Attorney, General Daniel Cameron, calling for the quick and immediate investigation into the death of Breonna Taylor, the 26-year-old EMT killed in a botched raid early this year.
The musician, speaking for the first time since protests erupted in the United States following the death of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, said that justice in the wake of Taylor’s death will ultimately “demonstrate the value of a Black woman’s life.”
“The LMPD’s investigation was turned over to your office, and yet all the officers involved in the shooting remain employed by the LMPD,” Beyonce wrote. “Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly and Officers Myles Cosgrove and Brett Hankison must be held accountable for their actions,” she added.
She further stated that the family of Taylor needs justice for her life and transparency throughout the investigation.
“Don’t let this case fall into her pattern of no action after a terrible tragedy. With every death of a black person at the hands of the police, there are two real tragedies: the death itself, and the inaction and delays that follows it. This is your chance to end the pattern. Take swift and decisive action in charging the officers… The next months cannot look like the last three.”
The death of Taylor sparked an uproar in Kentucky. The 26-year-old EMT was shot at least eight times after police had gone to her apartment in an attempted drug raid.
According to her family’s lawyer, Taylor was never involved in narcotics and disputed facts of the “no-knock” warrant officers were executing.
Meanwhile, CNN reported that The Kentucky Attorney General’s office has confirmed receipt of the letter in a statement.
“We are aware of the letter. As the letter makes requests related to the ongoing investigation involving the death of Ms. Breonna Taylor, we have no further comment.”
Mayor Fischer said the officers cannot be fired until the investigation is completed, CBS News reported.
