The Simon & Schuster publishing company wants no involvement in the forthcoming book written by one of the Louisville officers behind the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor.
On Tuesday (April 13), the Courier Journal learned that Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly was “in the process of writing” a book about the incident after he asked a staff photographer for permission to use a photo from one of the ensuing protests. The publication broke the news on Thursday (April 15), revealing that the book titled The Fight for Truth: The Inside Story Behind the Breonna Taylor Tragedy was going to be published by Post Hill Press, an independent company whose books are distributed by S&S.
The book was the source of widespread criticism that prompted Simon & Schuster to release some statements, clarifying their role in the creation of the book. According to The Guardian, the publishing company first told followers that they had no editorial control over the names of the books released by its smaller publishers. Hours later, in a follow-up statement, they announced their role in the book’s distribution process.
“Like much of the American public, earlier today Simon & Schuster learned of plans by distribution client Post Hill Press to publish a book by Jonathan Mattingly,” S&S said in a statement. “We have subsequently decided not be involved in the distribution of this book.”
Per a statement released on Friday (April 16), Post Hill Press will continue on with the publishing process. It is not clear whether they are looking for another distributor.
“Post Hill Press continues to move forward with plans to publish Sgt. Mattingly’s book,” the independent publisher wrote in a statement. “His story is important, and it deserves to be heard by the public at large. We feel strongly that an open dialogue is essential to shining a light on the challenging issues our country is facing.”
Mattingly was one of the officers who raided Taylor’s apartment on the day that she passed away. After her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, fired a warning shot, he responded with gunfire, eventually striking the late EMT. The FBI ballistics report confirmed his bullet was not the one that killed her, and the grand jury later cleared him, fellow Detective Myles Cosgrove and former Detective Brett Hankinson of her death. Hankinson was, however, indicted on three counts of wanton endangerment for blindly ringing fire and threatening the safety of Taylor’s neighbors.