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Earlier this year, we reported that Myles Cosgrove, the ex-Louisville police officer who fired the shot that killed Breonna Taylor, was hired as a deputy by the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, about an hour northeast of Louisville. It was yet another reminder that the whole system of policing in America is trash since cops who get fired for being bad and brutal cops can simply be rehired by another department. Well—surprise, surprise—Cosgrove has now been involved in another incident involving his gun and his aggressive behavior where witnesses are saying something different than the cops. Thankfully, no Black people senselessly lost their lives this time.
According to the Louisville Courier-Journal, several witnesses reported last week that Cosgrove, who was called to the scene to investigate an allegedly stolen trailer, rammed a resident’s truck with his cruiser and then pointed a gun at the truck’s owner. But despite what most of the bystanders said, the county sheriff essentially responded—nah, that didn’t happen.
From the Courier-Journal:
Witnesses told The Courier Journal that Cosgrove barreled into Happy Hollow Private Resort Park trailer park at a high rate of speed without his emergency lights on, then struck William Joshua Short’s pickup truck with such force that it sent the vehicle flying into a building, breaking off two cinder blocks.
Cosgrove’s cruiser then struck another car, damaging its rear end, the witnesses said.
Carroll County Sheriff Ryan Gosser, who did not respond Tuesday to a request for comment, said Friday he disputes most of the witness accounts.
In an email, Gosser said “evidence shows that Cosgrove was not going at a high rate of speed when he drove into the trailer park and that had his blue lights activated.
Gosser said Short was rounding a building in the Happy Hollow at a high rate of speed prior to impact and that the two vehicles collided when Short turned in front of him.
Gosser acknowledged that Cosgrove pulled his gun, but said it was because “several people came in Cosgrove’s direction shouting threats and menacing Cosgrove.”
So, just to recap: The “evidence shows” conveniently that Cosgrove didn’t cause the wreck almost everyone who was there says he caused. The other guy, in fact, was the one who was actually “driving at the high rate of speed” almost everyone who was there says Cosgrove was driving. And Cosgrove was only recklessly brandishing his gun at people because people were upset at him over the wreck he supposedly didn’t cause. Got it.
So, the Kentucky State Police charged Short, who has pleaded not guilty to all the charges against him, with wanton endangerment of a police officer. He was also charged with fleeing and evading police, despite the fact that witnesses also said he made no attempt to flee at all.
More from the Courier-Journal:
Jackie McCormack, who was visiting his niece at the Happy Hollow in Worthville, said the charges were unjustified. He said Cosgrove, not Short, was the aggressor.
“He hit him pretty hard,” McCormack said. “He just straight rammed him.”
“Josh (Short) could have been killed,” said Alexus Mobley, who was a passenger in Short’s truck.
She said she knew Cosgrove’s background and was “terrified” when he pointed his gun at her and others.
“He is obviously gun happy,” McCormack said.
Welp, it looks like the fine folks at Happy Hollow Private Resort Park are finding out what Black people have always known: Cops will virtually always receive the benefit of the doubt, and what witnesses saw won’t matter much when everything is officially being viewed through a blue wall.
SEE ALSO:
A No-Knock Raid Was Executed On A Black Family By Same Cops Who Killed Breonna Taylor
