Breonna Taylor case held up by FBI ballistics tests, Kentucky Attorney General says

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Those who have been anxiously waiting for Kentucky's attorney general to wrap up his office's investigation into the Louisville police shooting of Breonna Taylor shouldn't expect a fast decision.

Attorney General Daniel Cameron on Thursday told The Courier Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network, that his office is waiting for information on ballistics tests the FBI has been conducting.

"An integral part of this investigation is: What will those ballistics tests show? And so we are in the process of trying to get that information back from the FBI," he said.

When the FBI laboratory in Quantico, Virginia has finished analyzing this evidence — along with a shooting reconstruction from Taylor's apartment — FBI Louisville will "promptly" share those results with the Kentucky Attorney General's Office, which is conducting a separate investigation into Taylor's death, according to a statement from the FBI Louisville field office.

People in Kentucky and across the nation — including celebrities, athletes and local protesters who have spent months demonstrating against police brutality and racism — are demanding justice for Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman and emergency room tech who was unarmed when police killed her inside her home in March.

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In protests, on social media platforms, on billboards and in national interviews, many are urging Cameron to charge the three officers who executed the no-knock search warrant at Taylor's home — an operation that ended with Taylor lying dead in her hallway.

The power to bring criminal charges against the officers at the state level rests with Cameron, who took on the Taylor case after the Jefferson County commonwealth's attorney recused himself from reviewing the matter in May.

Cameron has been under a lot of pressure since then.

More than 100 people even protested on his front yard last month — a demonstration during which 87 of them were arrested.

The ongoing protests in Louisville — now in their 10th week — largely have been peaceful, although some property was destroyed and vandalized downtown when they first began in early May.

But there has been increased worry by political, corporate and civic leaders that tensions could hit a boiling point and spill over in the streets if Cameron announces he will not charge one or more of the officers in the Taylor case with a crime.

Cameron did not provide an estimate Thursday when his team will complete its investigation and release results.

He said that's because his office is still gathering information that will be critical to its analysis of the case, including the details on ballistics.

Cameron said Robert Brown, the special agent in charge of Louisville's FBI Field Office, is "working diligently" to make sure the attorney general's office receives that information, although he didn't want to specify a timeline for when that will happen.

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Because there isn't any video evidence of the shooting, getting and reviewing the details on ballistics — as well as on interviews with witnesses — is especially important, he said, but that takes time.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said at a press conference Thursday that he hasn't spoken to Cameron, a Republican, about the investigation, but said he hopes it will be completed soon.

"It has taken too long," said Beshear, a Democrat. "Took too long on the investigation side. It seems to be taking a long time on the evaluation side, and I say that without having seen any of the case file.

"And it may be that there are reasons and complexities for it," he said. "It would be easier on the public if at least the process was explained."

Cameron said Thursday that he recognizes the passion surrounding the Taylor case. It's something he and his team are mindful of, he said, but their responsibility is to the facts and the truth.

"And so what I hope people have seen through this investigation is that we won’t be swayed by any particular opinion," he said. "We have endeavored, with a team of career prosecutors and investigators, to make sure that no stone is left unturned in this investigation."

More on the Breonna Taylor case:

Louisville police: Releasing records hurts impartial investigation

What if the Breonna Taylor officers aren’t charged?

Follow Morgan Watkins on Twitter: @morganwatkins26

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Breonna Taylor case: Daniel Cameron waiting for FBI ballistics tests