Joe Biden urged peaceful protests in responding to a Kentucky grand jury decision that declined to indict two of the three police officers involved in charges relating to the death of Breonna Taylor.
“One thing I want to make clear: Protesting makes a lot of sense. It is clear people should be able to speak. But no violence, no violence,” Biden told North Carolina station WSOC on Wednesday. “My heart goes out to Breonna Taylor’s mom. The last thing she needs to see is violence in the streets.”
The former vice president and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate said that while he wants to hear more details about the decision, “it is important that justice be served.”
Taylor, a 26-year-old black woman in Louisville, Kentucky, was killed in her home in March after police carrying out a warrant entered her apartment. Her boyfriend (who said that he did not hear police announce themselves before they entered, while the officers say that they did ) shot an officer in the thigh when they entered, saying that he thought they were other intruders. Officers returned fire, killing Taylor as a result.
Her death, along with that of George Floyd (a black man from Minneapolis) in May, sparked nationwide Black Lives Matter protests and riots over policing and race relations.
A Kentucky grand jury on Wednesday ruled there was probable cause to indict detective Brett Hankison with three counts of wanton endangerment — but not because of actions that led to Taylor’s death. He had blindly fired 10 shots that put Taylor’s neighbors in danger.
The grand jury declined to indict the other two officers involved in carrying out the warrant and Taylor’s death.
Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris also reacted to the news soon after the decision.
“I haven’t read it fully yet, but there’s no question that Breonna Taylor and her family deserve justice yesterday, today and tomorrow,” the California senator told reporters.
The mayor of Louisville declared a state of emergency on Wednesday before the decision was announced, in expectation of protests relating to the decision.
