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WHAT TO KNOW TODAY
Why it may be difficult to convict the officers who killed Breonna Taylor. The 26-year-old EMT was shot by police in March during a no-knock police raid in Louisville, Kentucky. The Guardian and The Marshall Project report that the specifics of Kentucky self-defense law and the wide deference afforded to police gives officers a shield that would make a conviction difficult. Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, fired on officers in self-defense, thinking they were intruders, but that could provide officers with their own argument for acting in self-defense. “Most states don’t allow someone to claim self-defense when they are an aggressor. But most states also say that when police are acting in their official capacity they can’t be aggressors for purposes of self-defense law,” one expert said.
Gunshot wounds are becoming more frequent, more severe, and more costly to treat. That’s the key finding of a new study published this week in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. The authors found admissions for gunshot injuries requiring surgery rose between 2005 and 2016 and that the median cost for those hospitalizations increased by 27 percent. A small cause for optimism: Fatalities in that period declined even as admission for patients requiring surgery ticked up, which researchers attributed to improved trauma transport and care. “We hope that our findings are able to better inform policy in terms of violence prevention as well as reimbursement to hospitals, which are often in underserved areas,” writes the lead author.
Secret Service shoots man near White House. President Trump was in the middle of a COVID press briefing when a Secret Service agent whisked him away as the press pool remained in the briefing room. He returned minutes later, announcing that agents had shot someone a block away and took them into custody. The Secret Service later confirmed that account.
Chicago mayor on night of unrest following police shooting: “Straight-up felony criminal conduct.” On Sunday, officers shot a 20-year-old Black man in the city’s South Side. Police say they tried to apprehend a suspect who matched a police report, he fled, and then fired upon officers. The victim, who was in stable condition, was charged with attempted murder and illegal gun possession. A stand-off between police and neighborhood residents occurred near the shooting site. Hours later, hundreds of people descended upon the city’s Magic Mile downtown district, with extensive looting and property destruction reported. Police made over 100 arrests and said two people were also shot through the night. But some local activists decried Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s harsh words for the property destruction and questioned the police narrative. In a statement, Black Lives Matter Chicago said unrest in the city would not end until “the safety and well-being of our communities is finally prioritized.” The independent agency that reviews officer-involved shootings said it was investigating and confirmed that the officers involved in the shooting were not wearing body cameras.
TSA: The rate of gun recoveries at airports tripled in July compared to last year. The agency said it found 15.3 guns in checked bagged per million flyers last month. “Even more concerning is that 80 percent of the firearms coming into the checkpoint are loaded, and it’s just an accident waiting to happen,” said TSA Administrator David Pekoske.
DATA POINT
450 — the number of police reform proposals in 31 states since George Floyd’s death on May 25, according to a tally by the National Conference of State Legislatures. [The Associated Press]
