Police Officer Involved in Breonna Taylor Killing Claims Shooting Was ‘Not a Race Thing’

In an exclusive television interview with ABC News, Jonathan Mattingly, the police officer who was injured in the Breonna Taylor killing, got a chance to discuss the fatal incident.

The interview, which took place on Tuesday, was conducted by Good Morning America co-anchor and former football great Michael Strahan. Mattingly insists that the botched police raid that resulted in Taylor’s death was “not a race thing.”

“There was so much misinformation out, all these false narratives,” said Mattingly, who fired his service weapon six times that fateful night earlier this year on March 13.

“This is not relatable to George Floyd. It’s nothing like it. This is not Ahmaud Arbery, it’s nothing like it,” he said. “It’s not a race thing like people wanna try to make it to be. … This is the point where we’re doing our job, we return fire. This is not us hunting somebody down, not kneeling on a neck. This is nothing like that.”

EXCLUSIVE: Jonathan Mattingly, officer who carried out search warrant at Breonna Taylor’s apartment, speaks out exclusively to @ABC and @courierjournal, telling @michaelstrahan: “It’s not a race thing like people want to try to make it to be.” https://t.co/BFDU2V6yMI pic.twitter.com/SKvypZkICo

— ABC News (@ABC) October 20, 2020

Mattingly had some choice statements directed at Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer and his administration according to The Courier-Journal.

He stated that he begged the mayor’s office to release evidence or factual information but he was told that the officials didn’t want to “set precedent” for future cases.

“My response to that was, ‘So you’re willing to let the city burn down to not set a precedent for another case?’” Mattingly said. “A lot of (the) flames that have come up, a lot of this stuff could have been diverted. Now, would people still have a problem with it? Yes. But I think with the truth coming out, then you wouldn’t have as much distrust.”