Reading Police Officer Indicted On Manslaughter Charge For 2018 Fatal Shooting

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Yesterday, as people across the nation grew outraged by the news that the Louisville police officers who killed Breonna Taylor will not face homicide charges, a Massachusetts grand jury indicted a Reading police office for manslaughter. Officer Erik Drauschke shot and killed 43-year old Alan Greenough during a domestic violence call in 2018. Mr. Greenough did not have a weapon.

As Breonna Taylor’s case has reminded us, indictments against police officers are exceedingly rare. Howard Friedman is quoted in this news story saying he cannot recall a single time when a Massachusetts police officer was criminally charged for killing someone while on duty.

The criminal legal system failed Breonna Taylor. Time will tell if it can provide justice for Alan Greenough. However, the New York Times reported today that in the rare cases when a police officer is charged with an on-duty death only one-third of the cases end in a conviction.