Breaking: Multiple Louisville SWAT Team Members Told Investigators They Had Serious Concerns About Raid on Breonna Taylor’s Apartment https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/bv8q3w/louisville-swat-team-told-investigators-they-had-concerns-about-raid-on-breonna-taylors-apartment

Two months after police killed Breonna Taylor while executing a search warrant on her apartment in the middle of the night, a Louisville SWAT commander told investigators he had serious concerns about how the deadly raid was carried out (and a lot more)

Comments by LMPD Lieutenant Dale Massey in particular, which were made in a lengthy interview with members of the department’s Public Integrity Unit, suggest alarms were raised by officers before the raid, and that Massey wasn’t the only one who left scene with serious concerns

Audio of the interview, which was obtained by VICE News, hasn’t previously been made public. Neither have any of the interviews with other SWAT team members who were called to the scene after an officer was shot. The interviews were included in LMPD's investigative file

When Massey and other SWAT members arrived at Taylor’s apartment complex, they were met with what Massey described as a “chaotic scene.” There were multiple reports of automatic gunfire, and officers kept saying someone inside the apt had a rifle, even though that wasn't true

All of this led him to believe the sliding glass doors were riddled with bullets that were shot from inside.

It wasn’t until minutes later, he said, that he realized the rounds had actually come from outside, and were all fired by police

Massey also makes it clear that involved officers were roaming freely on scene after the incident, despite LMPD’s explicit policy that they be separated and paired with a peer support officer. He names Detective Myles Cosgrove, who fired 16 rounds that night according to LMPD

Here are some quotes that stand out:

LMPD SWAT Sgt. Hogan: “From my experience with my officer-involved, I was immediately assigned an escort officer,” another SWAT team member said. “They took me into my car and told me, “Hey, just chill out, don’t say nothing.’”

LMPD SWAT Lieutenant Massey on Breonna Taylor raid: “If no one’s got to die, they don’t have to die. Like, $14,000 isn’t worth it. Any amount of dope’s not worth it either. As we debriefed and kinda looked over, it was just - it was just an egregious act.”

LMPD SWAT Lieutenant Massey on Breonna Taylor raid: "We just got the feeling that night that, you know, um, something really bad happened."

LMPD SWAT Lieutenant Massey on Breonna Taylor raid: "Human life is more important than any amount of dope"

Full audio of LMPD Lieutenant Dale Massey's interview with LMPD investigators after the botched raid that led to Breonna Taylor's death