Officer involved in Breonna Taylor raid to release book

The book will be titled The Fight For Truth: The Inside Story Behind the Breonna Taylor Tragedy.

A protester holds up a painting of Breonna Taylor during a rally on the one year anniversary of her death at Jefferson Square Park in Louisville (Timothy D Easley/AP)

By Associated Press reporter

April 16 2021 01:00 AM

A police officer who who fired at Breonna Taylor during the deadly raid at her apartment is writing a book.

Sergeant Jonathan Mattingly and another officer fired shots that hit Ms Taylor during the drugs raid on March 13 last year.

The officer was shot in the leg by Ms Taylor’s boyfriend, and the 26-year-old black emergency medical worker, died at the scene, but no drugs were found in the apartment.

News of Sgt Mattingly’s book drew online criticism on Thursday, including from Kentucky state Representative Attica Scott, a Democrat, who wrote on Twitter that “People love to profit off of Black pain and tragedy. It sells.”

Stay focused, yâall. People love to profit off of Black pain and tragedy. It sells.https://t.co/cpa4nbjUNC
— Attica Scott (@atticascott4ky) April 15, 2021

His book will be titled The Fight For Truth: The Inside Story Behind the Breonna Taylor Tragedy.

Mattingly, 48, was shot in the leg by Ms Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, who said he fired a single shot after fearing an intruder was breaking into the apartment.

Sgt Mattingly was recently reprimanded by Louisville’s police chief for a September email that was critical of department leadership and protesters.

He remains at the department, while two other officers who fired their guns during the raid have been dismissed.