The Kentucky Prosecutors Advisory Council has rejected a request from the family of Breonna Taylor to appoint a special prosecutor to look into her fatal shooting death, according to a report by CNN affiliate WDRB.
Tamika Palmer, Taylor’s mother, requested a special prosecutor to present the case before a grand jury, saying the state attorney general’s handling of the case “undermines the trust and integrity of the entire process.”
The council voted “no” unanimously during a virtual meeting. The board says they do not have the legal authority to do so. According to the council, the law does not permit them to replace the Attorney General’s Office as the prosecutor.
Daniel Cameron’s office served as the special prosecutor in the case after the Jefferson County commonwealth’s attorney, Tom Wine, recused himself in May. But eyebrows were raised after two members of the grand jury revealed that he did not allow them to consider homicide charges against officers involved in Taylor’s killing.
“We do not have the legal authority to fulfill the request that has been submitted,” said Chris Cohron, a council member and the Commonwealth’s Attorney in Warren County.
Sam Aguiar, one of Palmer’s attorneys, says he plans to file action in court requesting clarity on the state law granting powers granted to the council.
“If the court system were to come back and rule this is the mechanism to allow an aggrieved citizen to go and seek a new prosecutor, then obviously the PAC (Prosecutors Advisory Council) is going to have to really deliberate on the merits, rather than their authority,” Aguiar said.
