*Louisville Metro Police Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly, one of the officers involved in Breonna Taylor’s fatal shooting, is reportedly writing a book about the incident.
According to the Courier-Journal, Mattingly has landed a book deal with Tennessee-based publisher Post Hill Press. Senior publicist Devon Brown confirmed Thursday that the book—titled The Fight for Truth: The Inside Story Behind the Breonna Taylor Tragedy—will be published sometime in the fall through its distributor Simon & Schuster.
Following relentless backlash over the book deal, Simon & Schuster said Thursday night that it will no longer be involved in the distribution of Mattingly’s work.
“Like much of the American public, Simon & Schuster learned of plans by distribution client Post Hill Press to publish a book by Jonathan Mattingly. We have subsequently decided not to be involved in the distribution of this book,” the company said in a statement Thursday night.
READ MORE: Louisville Fires 2 White Officers Involved in Breonna Taylor Deadly Raid
Post Hill Press specializes in “conservative political books,” according to its website, and has previously published books by Rep. Matt Gaetz as well as right-wing figures like Dan Bongino and Laura Loomer.
Before withdrawing from distributing the book, Simon & Schuster said in a statement: “The editorial and publishing decision of our distribution clients are theirs and theirs alone, and are made independently of Simon & Schuster. Per our agreements with them we are unable to pick and choose which titles on their list to distribute.”
Taylor, 26, was shot eight times when Sgt. Mattingly and two other LMPD officers executed a no-knock warrant at her Louisville apartment in March 2020. Authorities believed her ex-boyfriend, Jamarcus Glover, 30, was hiding drugs or money at the apartment. At the time of the raid, Glover was already in police custody 10 miles away. No drugs or cash were found at Taylor’s home. Many believe the officers targeted Taylor to rob her of the money and drugs they believed she was in possession of.
Taylor and her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, were in bed sleeping at the time authorities stormed the home. Walker maintains that the officers did not identify themselves before shots were fired. Investigators determined it was Cosgrove who fired the shot that killed Taylor.
Mattingly was wounded during the incident and later sued Walker for firing the shot that hit him in the leg, resulting in “severe trauma, mental anguish, and emotional distress.” Walker’s attorney, Steve Romines, described the suit as a “baseless attempt to further victimize and harass Kenny.”
Former officers Myles Cosgrove and Joshua Jaynes were both fired earlier this year, while Mattingly remains with the department. Jaynes was responsible for falsifying the search warrant application that led to the botched raid of Taylor’s home. He was fired on for “failing to complete a Search Warrant Operations Plan form”, CNN reported. Cosgrove was fired for use of deadly force for firing 16 rounds into Taylor’s home and failing to activate his body camera.
Only Hankison has been charged in the case, with three counts of first-degree wanton endangerment for firing shots during the raid that went into a neighboring apartment.
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