Ex-Dolphin Kenny Stills’ felony charge dropped after arrest during Breonna Taylor protest
Jefferson County Attorney Mike O’Connell dismissed the felony charge against former Miami Dolphins receiver Kenny Stills and others who were arrested at Tuesday’s protest in Louisville, Ky. , according to Sports Illustrated.
In a letter distributed Friday, O’Connell acknowledged that police had probable cause but chose to drop the charge “in the interest of justice and the promotion of the free exchange of ideas.”
Stills, 28, still faces disorderly conduct and criminal trespass charges, both of which are misdemeanors.
First reported by the Louisville Courier Journal, Stills was one of the 87 demonstrators who were arrested after marching to Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron’s home Tuesday in support of Breonna Taylor, an African-American emergency room technician who police shot and killed in March.
Jail records showed the Houston Texans receiver was originally charged with two misdemeanors, disorderly conduct and criminal trespass, as well as intimidating a participant in the legal process, a felony. All of the protestors faced similar charges, according to the Kentucky-based newspaper.
Stills’ representation, Athletes First, did not immediately return a request for comment. His agent Ryan Williams later issued the following statement on Twitter.
Stills also tweeted a picture of his mugshot Tuesday afternoon.
The Courier-Journal reported that Stills joined more than 100 protestors in marching from a local high school to the home of Cameron, who has yet to charge the three Louisville Metro Police officers behind Taylor’s killing.
In a statement obtained by the Courier-Journal, Louisville Metro Police spokesman Lamont Washington said that officers made multiple attempts to get the demonstrators to leave before resorting to arrests. Washington specifically cited “their refusal to leave the property and their attempts to influence the decision of the Attorney General with their actions” as justification.
Taylor, 26, and her boyfriend were in bed on March 13 when police executed a no-knock search warrant at her Louisville apartment, shooting her eight times. Her home was believed to linked to a narcotics investigation, however, officers found no drugs at the residence. One of the officers has since been fired while the other two were reassigned, the New York Times reported.
The death of Taylor sparked numerous protests in Louisville as the calls for Cameron charge the three officers have intensified.
Stills, who the Dolphins traded to the Texans in 2019, has a history of being outspoken on social justice issues. He marched to the Kentucky state capitol building in June for Taylor and has consistently used his social media to promote the Black Lives Matter movement.
This story was originally published July 15, 2020 at 12:28 PM.
