Second grand juror in Breonna Taylor case interested in speaking out, Louisville activist says

CNN/Stylemagazine.com Newswire | 10/5/2020, 1:27 p.m.
A Louisville activist says he's been contacted by a second grand juror who asked for advice on how to speak …
In an aerial view from a drone, a large-scale ground mural depicting Breonna Taylor with the text 'Black Lives Matter' is seen being painted at Chambers Park on July 5, 2020 in Annapolis, Maryland. Credit: Patrick Smith/Getty Images North America/Getty Images

By Ralph Ellis, Elizabeth Joseph and Lauren del Valle, CNN

(CNN) -- A Louisville activist says he's been contacted by a second grand juror who asked for advice on how to speak out about deliberations in the Breonna Taylor case.

Christopher 2X, head of Game Changers, a nonprofit that focuses on early education to help curb gun violence, told reporters Sunday that the second juror doesn't want to come forward yet.

The juror wants to wait until after a hearing regarding the first grand juror who came forward, Christopher 2X said. That hearing is scheduled for 1 p.m. Wednesday, said the spokeswoman for the Kentucky Attorney General's Office, Elizabeth Kuhn.

The first grand juror, who has remained anonymous so far, filed a lawsuit seeking permission to speak freely about their experiences in the grand jury room and for the release of grand jury recordings and transcripts.

Meanwhile, a lawyer for Taylor's family has posted an open letter to Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear demanding that a new grand jury be called to reopen her case.

"Bre was a hero, a first responder who put her life on the line every day during this COVID-19 pandemic," lawyer Benjamin Crump wrote. "Together, we demand a new grand jury to reopen Breonna Taylor's case, immediately."

Grand jury under scrutiny

Christopher 2X's organization also wants grand jury transcripts and recordings to be released and for jurors to be allowed to speak out.

Grand jury proceedings are normally confidential. But recordings from the Taylor grand jury proceedings were released late last week to the public and journalists.

Taylor was fatally shot in her apartment in March by officers executing a drug warrant. The grand jury's decisions have come under scrutiny because it did not indict any of the police officers involved on charges related to her death. One officer was charged in connection with shots he fired into an adjacent apartment.

Kevin Glogower, the attorney for the first grand juror, told CNN on Sunday that "We have heard about a potential juror expressing a similar desire to speak publicly and appreciate their efforts to make certain it is their best choice."

Glogower added, "Hopefully, our client's bravery has helped them in what must be a difficult thought process. Our team will support them in any way possible."

Community meetings planned

Members of Game Changers said Sunday that they'd spoken with a representative for the FBI regarding the "civil rights investigation" into the incident, and that they would be setting up community engagement meetings to connect the agency to the public.

"I feel there's no way in the last week and a few days that we can get a level of comfort and trust in this community until we can have real live individuals who studied this situation as it relates to their civic duty," Christopher 2X said.

Tim Beam of the FBI's Louisville office said Sunday the community engagement meetings are being held in part to inform the public of their efforts, and in part to foster a greater understanding of the agency's role in the community.