BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WTVQ) – Gubernatorial candidate Kentucky AG Commissioner Ryan Quarles has backed out of attending an event tonight, Tuesday, Jan. 17, in Bowling Green that features one of the officers involved in the Breonna Taylor shooting.
In a statement provided by his campaign, Quarles says: “I, like other candidates running for Governor, have been invited to introduce myself to this group. I was invited independently of other speakers and due to the controversial nature of another speaker at this event, we have decided to reschedule to a later date.”
The event, hosted by the Republican Women’s Club of South Central KY is a dinner buffet at the Bowling Green Country Club. It featured Quarles and Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly, who was one of three officers involved in the raid on Breonna Taylor’s apartment. Mattingly fired shots that hit Taylor.
Since then, Mattingly has written and published a book titled ‘12 seconds in the dark. A police officer’s firsthand account of the Breonna Taylor raid‘.
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The announcement of Tuesday’s event sparked controversy among many. Kentucky Democratic Party Chair, Colmon Elridge tweeted the following:
“From Till to Taylor, the extreme right has a legacy of traumatizing & ridiculing POC when innocent black folk are murdered, but this is abhorrent. Apparently, the worth of a murdered innocent black woman is a country club dinner at $40 per person, tax & tip included.”
And another tweet stated: “The 1A is precious, even for those who use it to monetize the murder of innocent citizens & to traumatize their family. But any candidate who believes this is just politics or not a big deal is unworthy of serving & is clearly not interested in governing for all Kentuckians.”
State Rep. Lamin Swann also tweeted: “Sickening a Kentucky gubernatorial candidate wants to lift a name like this! Kentucky, we can do better!”
BG Freedom Walkers in Bowling Green also responded to the announcement of the event with a planned protest against the fundraiser and in honor of Breonna Taylor, set to begin 30 minutes before the start of the dinner Tuesday.
ABC 36 reached out to BG Freedom Walkers for further comment but has not received a response back.
The Republican Women’s Club later took down its Facebook post promoting the event and put out the following press release defending the event.
“The Republican Women’s Club of South Central KY is open to people of all races, religions, and ages. One of the objectives of our organization is to educate members regarding community issues and topics of political, social, and financial concern. Sometimes these issues can be controversial and complex. In order to protect our freedoms of speech and due process, we are committed to providing peaceful forums to present information and opinions by knowledgeable parties regarding issues and events of our day.
We have recently invited Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly to speak at our meeting to obtain a firsthand account of the drug raid where Breonna Taylor was killed in Louisville. Sgt. Mattingly was one of the officers involved and injured in the raid. Sgt. Mattingly will be sharing his firsthand accounts of the evening.
These events may be controversial however, we believe Sgt. Mattingly has the right to share his experience. Other individuals with firsthand experience relating to this case are welcome to request an opportunity to speak to our organization as well.”
ABC 36 has also reached out to the club for more information on if the event will be canceled following Quarles backing out, or if it will still be held. We have not received a response.
