After the shocking announcement from Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron that the police officers who shot Breonna Taylor were not going to be charged for her death, another plot twist in the case shocked many.
A drastic change in the case happened as the sole witness changed his testimony about the incident.
According to VICE News, documents and audio that they have obtained show the witness identified as Aarin Sarpee or Aaron Julue Sarpee on other public records, telling investigators that during the March 13 incident, he did not hear the cops announce themselves.
In his testimony, Sarpee was picking up his daughter in a unit just above Taylor's when officers Myles Cosgrove, Jonathan Mattingly, and Brett Hankison raided Taylor's apartment.
A Tale Told Twice
However, the story changed after his second interview. Two months after the raid, he was once again called in for a sit down with an LMPD Public Integrity Unit sergeant. This time, contrary to his initial testimony, Sarpee said that the cops announce themselves before entering Taylor's unit.
The sudden change in Sarpee's story has come into the attention of many and has questioned the strength and integrity of Cameron's decision and the report of the grand jury. Moreover, state officials are demanding that the information be put under public scrutiny.
Last week, only one of the officers involved in Taylor's case was indicted. On top of this, Hankinson was only charged for firing shots which put the people in other apartments in danger.
Mattingly and Cosgrove - the one who shot Taylor- received no charges.
The recommendation on the charges by Cameron was said to have been partly based on the testimony of Sarpee. Thus, now that the given testimony is in question, it also puts into question the decision on the charges.
Meanwhile, in a statement, Cameron said that his job is to put his emotions on the sideline and investigate the case using facts. He also noted that it is his job to see if any state law was violated in the incident.
The charges that were filed on Wednesday comes more than six months after the incident happened. It was noted that a "no-knock" warrant was issued for the apartment where Taylor lived in connection to a narcotics investigation involving her ex-boyfriend, Jamarcus Glover.
In addition, according to the Daily Beast, the officers who were involved in the case have previously stated that Sarpee who was just upstairs at the time got into an argument with Hankison as they were calling Taylor and banging at her door.
At the time, the information contradicted Sarpee's initial statement where he said that the officers did not announce themselves. However, after he gave his second statement, his story and the testimonies of the officers suddenly corroborated.
However, despite the change in the story of Sarpee, where he claimed to have heard the police announce themselves, it was not clear whether Taylor and Glover heard them from inside the unit since they were in the bedroom situated at the back.
