A police sergeant under investigation in the shooting death of Breonna Taylor sent an email to more than 1,000 officers that referred to protesters as 'thugs'

• Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly, one of the three officers involved in the shooting death of Breonna Taylor, sent a long email to his coworkers at about 2 a.m. on Tuesday in which he called protesters "thugs."

• The Vice News correspondent Roberto Aram Ferdman shared the email, which was sent to about 1,000 officers, on Twitter on Tuesday morning. Mattingly's lawyer later confirmed to the Louisville Courier-Journal that his client had sent the email.

• "You DO NOT DESERVE to be in this position. The position that allows thugs to get in your face and yell, curse and degrade you. Throw bricks, bottles and urine on you and expect you to do nothing," Mattingly wrote in the email.

• The sergeant also criticized city officials, calling them "pencil pushers" who were "too scared to hold the line."

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A police sergeant involved in the shooting death of 26-year-old Breonna Taylor sent an email to more than 1,000 fellow officers at about 2 a.m. on Tuesday in which he called protesters "thugs" and told the officers that their "civil rights mean nothing."

Louisville Metro Police Department Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly and Detectives Brett Hankinson and Myles Cosgrove executed a no-knock search warrant at Taylor's home on the evening of March 13, firing more than 20 rounds into her apartment.

Mattingly and Cosgrove have been placed on administrative leave. In June, Louisville's interim chief of police, Robert Schroeder, fired Hankinson, saying he "displayed an extreme indifference to the value of human life."

All three are awaiting a grand-jury decision from Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron.

Kent Wicker, Mattingly's lawyer, confirmed to the Louisville Courier-Journal that his client was the author of the email. It was first shared on Twitter by the Vice News correspondent Roberto Aram Ferdman.

In the email, Mattingly expressed anger toward city officials.

"I'm not here to tell you that you signed up to help this community and to keep your head up. I'm here to tell you I'm sorry you have to go through this. I'm sorry your families have to go through this. I'm sorry the Mayor, Amy Hess, and Chief Conrad failed all of us in epic proportions for their own gain and to cover their asses." he wrote, referring to Hess, Louisville's chief of public safety, and Steve Conrad, the police chief who was fired in June.

Mattingly went on to call people involved in protests over Taylor's case "thugs."

"You DO NOT DESERVE to be in this position. The position that allows thugs to get in your face and yell, curse and degrade you. Throw bricks, bottles and urine on you and expect you to do nothing," he wrote.

"It goes against EVERYTHING we were all taught in the academy. The position that if you make a mistake during one of the most stressful times in your career, the department and FBI (who aren't cops and would piss their pants if they had to hold the line) go after you for civil rights violations. Your civil rights mean nothing, but the criminal has total autonomy."

Mattingly also described city officials as "pencil pushers" who were "too scared to hold the line."

"It's sad how the good guys are demonized, and criminals are canonized," he said, adding, "This is not an us against society, but it is good versus evil."

In a press conference on Tuesday morning, Schroeder, who has announced he will retire in October, said it was "premature" to make a statement on Mattingly's email, WAVE 3 News reported. An LMPD representative told the Courier-Journal that the department was aware of the email and that "the matter is under review."

Wicker defended his client, telling the Courier-Journal that Mattingly was "expressing his support for them and their work in these difficult times."

Both the Louisville police and the mayor declared a state of emergency this week ahead of potential protests following the grand jury's decision.

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