By Yuanqi Ivy Zhou
LOUISVILLE, KY – Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron Thursday released a statement addressing the office’s ongoing investigation on Breonna Taylor’s death, promising Taylor’s family, those who protested Taylor’s death, and the general public that “at the end of our investigation, we will do what is right and we will find the truth.”
A little before midnight of March 13, 2020, Louisville police officers carried out a search warrant on the house of Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old African American emergency room technician. After a brief exchange, Breonna Taylor was brutally murdered by the shots of these police officers in her own home.
Exactly two months later, the Attorney General, with his team of seven, was asked to serve as special prosecutor of this case, with the responsibility of stepping up to investigate this case in place of the commonwealth’s attorney, who could not carry out the investigation because of a conflict of interest—the commonwealth’s attorney was overseeing the prosecution of Kenneth Walker, Taylor’s boyfriend.
In the beginning of his address, Cameron showed sympathy and gave condolences to Taylor’s family to acknowledge their pain in losing a loved one.
Then, he promised all those involved in the case that the office is committed to doing a thorough and fair investigation on Taylor’s case. He vowed to the people, both in Kentucky and across the country, that “we hear you and we are working around the clock to follow the law to the truth because everyone involved in this case does not deserve anything less.”
Cameron said he has faith in his team’s efforts to conduct a thorough investigation of the murder of Taylor, and sought to assure the public that the Attorney General’s office has a strong team of investigators and prosecutors with a cumulative 200-plus years of experience in the field. Cameron also told the public that his team is ready to handle and address this case, and that all members will work diligently on the investigation to reach a just conclusion.
In terms of gathering evidence, Cameron stated that the Attorney General’s office expects to receive materials from the police department’s Integrity Unit. The Attorney General’s office is also 
undertaking investigation with federal partners such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation. After receiving these materials, the office reviews the materials immediately.
Along with an analysis of other investigator’s materials, the Attorney General’s office is also conducting its own independent investigation, separate but simultaneous to these other investigations. Cameron claims that the only way to do a thorough investigation is by looking through everything, both material from other investigations and their own investigation. Cameron stated that a private investigation of all materials is necessary to give additional confidence that the office is getting the facts right and effecting a just prosecution.
Cameron said that a thorough investigation of their own is necessary to reach a conclusion that is both accepted by the community as well as by those involved in the case. In these last few months, Cameron and his team have received many calls, letters, and emails on this case, and he maintains that he is aware of and sensitive to the public’s response. He has called for everyone’s patience as his team carries out this investigation.
Cameron asserts, “As chief commonwealth officer, I have a specific obligation to see that anyone accused of a crime is accorded procedural justice and that guilt is decided upon the basis of sufficient evidence rather than public opinion.” Cameron stated that, as a prosecutor, his interest is not to win a case but to ensure that justice is upheld according to the law’s guidance.
“While he may strike hard blows, he is not at liberty to strike foul ones. We are not going to strike foul blows in this case. We are going to perceive the truth based on the law—whether that lands to convictions or exonerations,” said Cameron, adding that he understands the responsibility to get the facts of the law right, on behalf of all Kentuckians and the American public.
Cameron shared with everyone that “we [the Attorney General’s office] are going to do everything that we possibly can to make sure that we make a thorough and detailed investigation.”
The investigation is still ongoing, and although Cameron stated that the office understands the urgency of the circumstances, he requested that the public give the office time to complete a thorough investigation before proceeding with a final prosecution.
“An investigation of this magnitude when done correctly requires time and patience,” Cameron said, adding that “we need flexibility in order to fully understand the facts of this investigation to do this right and to do a fair assessment of all the facts before making determinations.”
He said his team is working “around the clock” because “we understand the urgency, we understand the public outcry, we understand the need for truth and the desire for justice.
“I hope that all will recognize that we are doing everything we possibly can to ensure confidence in this process. I want you all to know that from the top down, the office is working diligently around the clock to make sure that this process is fair to all. What you expect of your Attorney General is that we be fair in the arbitration of this decision. Ultimately, the chips fall where they may, but I have responsibility along with my team to be fair in the assessment of the facts before us,” he said.
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