The Louisville Metro Police Department detective who fired the bullet that ultimately ended the life of Breonna Taylor is asking for donations to retire.
According to the Courier-Journal, Detective Myles Cosgrove is now receiving monetary donations on GiveSendGo, a Christian crowdfunding site. Cosgrove’s family has set a goal of $75,000 to help buy out the remainder of his service time. As of Wednesday (Sep. 30) afternoon, they have already raised more than $10,000.
“It has recently become clear that it will be impossible for Myles to safely return to his position serving the community with the Louisville Metro Police Department,” the family wrote.
“We hope to raise enough funds to help him purchase the remainder of his service time, or ‘air-time,’ so that he can retire from the LMPD and continue to focus on the safety of his family, a family that has been put continually at-risk over the past few months,” the page read.
Last week, Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron announced that Cosgrove and Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly would not face any charges for Taylor’s death — although a FBI ballistics lab proved that Cosgrove sent out the fatal bullet that hit Taylor. Cameron says they were “justified” in the shooting because Taylor’s boyfriend fired his weapon first.
The two officers have remained on paid administrative reassignment while the FBI investigation and internal police investigation continue. Cosgrove’s family says the media is partly to blame for how people negatively perceive the officer.
“The media oftentimes intentionally leaves out important details with regards to this specific case,” they wrote. “They have, in a sense, lied by omission on many occasions. On social media, even more blatant lies about the facts have become harmfully widespread and numerous. Unfortunately, this has all resulted in a perpetual, nightmarish reality for Myles and his family.”
The family says they have received “countless threats” and meeting their $75,000 goal can allow Cosgrove to “focus on his main objective: the safety of his family.”