Customers in Shock After Footage of Breonna Taylor’s Death Played at Kentucky Restaurant
by Sharelle Burt

January 23, 2023

Customers in Shock After Footage of Breonna Taylor’s Death Played at Kentucky Restaurant

Imagine enjoying a quiet dinner and being reminded of a horrific raid that ended in someone’s death.

That’s what happened to a group of unsuspecting patrons in Kentucky after being forced to listen to police footage of the moment Breonna Taylor was shot and killed.

The Republican Women’s Club of South Central Kentucky was set to host a dinner event at the Bowling Green Country Club featuring John Mattingly, one of the former Louisville police officers who raided Taylor’s home, firing multiple shots while searching her apartment for her ex-boyfriend, suspected of being connected to drugs. Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles was also set to make an appearance but canceled. The country club wasn’t pleased with the group having them as guests so decided to no longer host the event.

According to Spectrum News, Quarles backed out of the event due to the controversial booking of Mattingly. His campaign said they have “decided to reschedule to a later date.” Essentially, the Women’s Club found the Anna’s Greek Restaurant balcony to host the Tuesday evening event; however, the business remained open to customers unaffiliated with the event.

NBC says patrons present claimed they heard and saw graphic descriptions of the incident that killed Taylor. Lights went out as the audio of the confrontation was heard throughout the restaurant on the speaker system.

Customers shared their shock on social media. One customer said the sounds were extremely invasive, and they were given no warning. They continued, “we were no longer able to even hear people at our table and barely could see our food.” The Club put out a statement saying they invited Mattingly to speak at the event for a “firsthand account” of the raid that resulted in Taylor’s tragic death in 2020.

The former police officer wrote a book titled 12 Seconds In The Dark: A Police Officer’s Firsthand Account of The Breonna Taylor Raid. Shocked by the insensitiveness, the Bowling Green-Warren County NAACP also released a statement via Twitter regarding the incident. “It is beyond reprehensible to subject anyone, let alone children and customers of African American descent, to such indecent exposure, graphic and upsetting images while they were attempting to enjoy their meal,” NAACP chapter President Ryan Dearbone wrote.


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