An online fundraising campaign set up by the family of an officer involved in the shooting death of Breonna Taylor is aiming to give the man an early retirement.
The family of Detective Myles Cosgrove, who was one of two officers on the scene when Taylor was shot and killed during the execution of a search warrant last year, began the campaign over the weekend on the Christian fundraising site Give Send Go.
The fund, according to a statement from the family, is intended “to help secure the safety of Myles and his immediate family going forward.”
“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 post says. “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 campaign is seeking $75,000 in total and has already garnered more than $11,000 in donations.
Those who donated left positive remarks and well wishes for both Cosgrove and his family.
“Myles, thank you for putting your life on the line each day and all the best with your future plans,” one person who donated $50 said.
But not everyone was supportive of the effort. One user appears to have donated $5 just to be able to leave a comment condemning the campaign.
“This is hilarious. Christians giving money to someone that broke one of the ten commandments,” the user said. “LMAO! ‘Thou shall not kill’… well unless you are an American police officer, then Jesus thinks its [sic] okay… smfh.”
More than 160 donations in total have been made so far.
The campaign description also states that Cosgrove and his family have faced “a perpetual, nightmarish reality” since the shooting.
“They have personally received countless threats,” the fundraiser says. “Myles’ reputation has been completely dismantled and the psychological trauma is something that he will have to cope with for the rest of his life.”
The fundraiser comes just days after Cosgrove, who, according to the FBI, fired the shot that ultimately killed Taylor, learned he would not face charges for Taylor’s death.
Taylor was struck six times after her boyfriend, who says he believed their home was being broken into by burglars, confronted the officers.
Only one officer, former Detective Brett Hankison, was charged with wanton endangerment. Hankison was not charged for shooting Taylor, however, but for firing into an empty apartment near Taylor’s.
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