What do you think?
Rate this book
12 Seconds in the Dark: A Police Officer's Firsthand Account of the Breonna Taylor Raid
You might think you know what happened in the tragic shooting of Breonna Taylor, but no one knows that better than the lead officer on the scene, Sergeant John Mattingly. However, with the full support of the mainstream media, Black Lives Matter activists and other leftist groups immediately pounced on the tragedy, exploiting Breonna’s death and twisting the story—in some cases, telling outright lies—to bolster a shameful “All Cops Are Bastards” narrative and radical “Defund the Police” agenda. In 12 Seconds in the A Police Officer’s Firsthand Account of the Breonna Taylor Raid , Sgt. Mattingly tells what really happened that horrible night. A twenty-year police veteran with an impeccable record, Mattingly takes readers inside the Louisville Metro Police Department’s response to suspected criminal activity that night, debunking lie after lie about what happened, In this gritty and suspenseful true story, Mattingly sets the record straight on this shocking story that gripped the nation.
141 pages, Hardcover
Published March 15, 2022
102 people are currently reading
574 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 97 reviews
March 17, 2022
I will read/ listen to this one again. You really understand the dynamics of what happened much better when listening to this. Anyone who thinks this cop is a racist after reading this needs their head examined
March 16, 2022
You must read this book! What is in this book will make wonder if anything the media or politicians say is true
March 19, 2022
Great read!
It really sheds light on the misinformation in the media. It reminds us all to question what we read and hear.
It really sheds light on the misinformation in the media. It reminds us all to question what we read and hear.
April 16, 2022
It’s weird giving a book that pissed me off 5 stars, but here we are.
I’m not angry at the book. In fact, far from it. Im actually insanely proud of Mattingly for having the balls to stand up to the mainstream media’s portrayal of the Breonna Taylor debacle and actually lay out the facts of what went down that night.
Instead, I’m pissed at the absolute cluster that occurred. Pissed that the entire nation turned its back on those that were there to protect and serve, screwed them all over to the point of their own safety, and decided to join hands with a known thug who was the one responsible for Taylor’s death. I’m pissed that this divide continues to occur and pissed that there are too many yellow belly, ballless morons in our government, schools, society, and all other walks of life that continue to scream about racism yet they perpetuate the stereotypes and do nothing to end it.
Ok so I went on a bit of a rant there, but all in all, 12 Seconds is going to be one of those controversial books that’s gonna divide readers right down the middle. Dogmatic supporters of back the blue and angry zealots of BLM won’t ever see eye to eye on this book. Obviously you know where I stand and I’m just glad that Mattingly didn’t let the fear of more anger, reprisal, and more “cancelling” from the woke mob stop him from writing this eye opening book.
I’m not angry at the book. In fact, far from it. Im actually insanely proud of Mattingly for having the balls to stand up to the mainstream media’s portrayal of the Breonna Taylor debacle and actually lay out the facts of what went down that night.
Instead, I’m pissed at the absolute cluster that occurred. Pissed that the entire nation turned its back on those that were there to protect and serve, screwed them all over to the point of their own safety, and decided to join hands with a known thug who was the one responsible for Taylor’s death. I’m pissed that this divide continues to occur and pissed that there are too many yellow belly, ballless morons in our government, schools, society, and all other walks of life that continue to scream about racism yet they perpetuate the stereotypes and do nothing to end it.
Ok so I went on a bit of a rant there, but all in all, 12 Seconds is going to be one of those controversial books that’s gonna divide readers right down the middle. Dogmatic supporters of back the blue and angry zealots of BLM won’t ever see eye to eye on this book. Obviously you know where I stand and I’m just glad that Mattingly didn’t let the fear of more anger, reprisal, and more “cancelling” from the woke mob stop him from writing this eye opening book.
April 6, 2022
Eye opening first-hand account of the tragic Breonna Taylor shooting. How unfairly the police officers were treated for simply doing their job. Breonna's death was a tragedy for sure. However, there was a grave miscarriage of justice by the media and popular celebrities which socially crucified these men while they had no opportunity (because of the ongoing investigation) to even defend their actions. Thank goodness Daniel Cameron didn't also cave to the social pressure but looked at the actual FACTS and conducted a fair, impartial investigation which brought the truth to light. Thank goodness ACTUAL justice was preserved and mob rule denied. It's sad to me that so much hate exists in the hearts of so many.
January 28, 2023
The last thing anyone who loves the Constitution should want is to give money to a killer cop. No knock warrants based on fabrications and firing blindly into buildings are not the methods used by those interested in protecting and serving. That's something you'd expect to find in a police state. Absolutely disgusting.
March 29, 2022
Always “two sides to every story”, right? So why, in today’s world are these cultural/societal shifting types of tales only being given a sole take from the side that owns all the institutions? Between the bureaucrats, the politicians, major news outlets, the celebrities, Hollywood, educational platforms, big tech, big business, the entire social media, and so on. They run the game and the rules right now. So despite all their efforts to serve as judge, jury, and executioner for this incident before the blood was even dry, it’s remarkable that despite their attempts to bury those involved and any voice that could contradict their premeditated and definitive sentencing, SGT John Mattingly weeded his way through the impossible cracks to give an in depth “screw you” to the lot of them and tell the story you DEFINITELY didn’t hear from everybody else.
Chalked full of his start to finish first person testimonial. The lead up, the incident, the fall out, the national nightmare it became. It’s all included, told with fervor, and backed up with a plethora of corroborating evidence within the pages to give the reader as full scope of the whole circus as possible… Just in case you wanted something more than simply taking CNNs word on their feelings to the subject. You now have both sides to this, and it is very enlightening.
It does also serve as an ode to our current times, what’s wrong with them, what we need to be better about, and giving the boost to all of our brothers and sisters in blue they very rarely get these days, and need to be given more often.
The ripple effect of those “12 seconds” is unfathomable how it played a part in setting off so much more throughout the world in its wake. And I praise Sgt Mattingly for rising above the odds to fight back like he did here. Though as you will read, they really left them no other alternative…
Chalked full of his start to finish first person testimonial. The lead up, the incident, the fall out, the national nightmare it became. It’s all included, told with fervor, and backed up with a plethora of corroborating evidence within the pages to give the reader as full scope of the whole circus as possible… Just in case you wanted something more than simply taking CNNs word on their feelings to the subject. You now have both sides to this, and it is very enlightening.
It does also serve as an ode to our current times, what’s wrong with them, what we need to be better about, and giving the boost to all of our brothers and sisters in blue they very rarely get these days, and need to be given more often.
The ripple effect of those “12 seconds” is unfathomable how it played a part in setting off so much more throughout the world in its wake. And I praise Sgt Mattingly for rising above the odds to fight back like he did here. Though as you will read, they really left them no other alternative…
April 11, 2022
Regardless of what you think about what happened in this situation, ALWAYS be willing to hear someone else's side of the story. Albeit take all sides with grain of salt, because emotion skews, but still listen to all sides. Face the facts.
Could have had better technical writing but it was not difficult to follow. Considering this man is not an author it was written well, almost read like a long report.
Could have had better technical writing but it was not difficult to follow. Considering this man is not an author it was written well, almost read like a long report.
March 21, 2022
great read
Everyone should read this book. I think the world needs to come together to conquer what’s going on right now. United we stand divided we fall.
Everyone should read this book. I think the world needs to come together to conquer what’s going on right now. United we stand divided we fall.
April 7, 2023
Book is trash. Written by someone who should have just taken an L and faded into oblivion.
May 12, 2022
This is a very informative read about the police who were trying to act on a warrant and ended up in a shooting situation where a police officer was injured and a civilian was killed. Besides the injuries and death, it is an extremely unsettling recount of the lies that were told to destroy those who stand in the gap to protect us all, regardless of race, gender, age, or likability. Sadly, the truth told here will not get as much play as all the lies that came before it.
The underlying Christian worldview is wonderfully refreshing.
Unfortunately, some of the inserts (letters, text messages) were in a small font and difficult to read.
The underlying Christian worldview is wonderfully refreshing.
Unfortunately, some of the inserts (letters, text messages) were in a small font and difficult to read.
June 12, 2022
The book is worth reading if you are interested from seeing all the things that went on from the perspective of the officer. The title is kind of misleading, it is only 1 chapter in the entire book, and a short one at that.
However, it terms of a book it is a bit hard to read, jumps around a lot and Mattingly makes a lot of conjectures he admits he cannot back up.
Probably the biggest takeaway was the neglect done by the Louisville government, the potential cover up with the $12 million dollar settlement, and how things played out making the situation worse.
However, it terms of a book it is a bit hard to read, jumps around a lot and Mattingly makes a lot of conjectures he admits he cannot back up.
Probably the biggest takeaway was the neglect done by the Louisville government, the potential cover up with the $12 million dollar settlement, and how things played out making the situation worse.
March 20, 2022
I read this to get a perspective different than what has been shown in the media. Overall I think there’s a lot of lessons in here for both sides regarding policing and tragedies.
My biggest issue with this book is the writing. It mostly reads like a high school English paper. There are run-on sentences, incomplete thoughts, and unnecessary/unprofessional commentary. It doesn’t seem like it was edited at all. These issues were distracting and took away from the reading experience.
My biggest issue with this book is the writing. It mostly reads like a high school English paper. There are run-on sentences, incomplete thoughts, and unnecessary/unprofessional commentary. It doesn’t seem like it was edited at all. These issues were distracting and took away from the reading experience.
June 28, 2022
I don't know what to think. There are two polar opposite schools of thought on this shooting. I wish we could find a way to avoid people dying needlessly, no matter where the fault lies.
December 31, 2022
A must read if you want to know what actually happened that night not just what the media tells you.
March 22, 2023
Baaaaaaaa! ugh i am such a good little sheep that I expected this book would reaffirm all the beliefs I developed from the mainstream media. I wanted to 'hate listen' to the white supremacist cop trying to justify racism.
Breonna Taylor didn't deserve to die, and it's clearly a massive tragedy. We SHOULD #rememberhername. But l remember protesting because I very much believed a narrative that mainstream media, politicians, and celebrities were saying: that police gave no warning and never identified themselves before raiding the "wrong house" and purposely killing Breonna, a woman unconnected with the crimes being investigated, who had every reason to think they weren't police with
warrants but home invaders. Other versions I heard from famous celebrities were that a Black woman had been randomly shot dead while she was asleep and alone in her bed? I was shocked to learn they never even stepped into her home... much less that she wasn't asleep, alone or unarmed. I didn't even know the officer got shot!
Again, she didn't deserve to die, and it's clearly a massive tragedy. Even though it has later come to light that she actually was involved with her big drug dealer ex boyfriend's affairs and that her job had let her go because she mysteriously had a body in her car, there was no reason for her to die in that raid.
Some alarming points for me:
1) Walker knew it was the police. He called his mom to tell her that police were there
but then made up a different story that benefited him for the 911 call when he finally got around to it.
2) He was a horrible boyfriend: he used her body as a shield and then used his privilege as the living witness to say that SHE shot police when it was him. Instead of staying by her side, he did other things - presumably hiding drugs and other evidence - when he should have been immediately dialing 911 and trying to save her life. How was that not the first call he made? Instead, he was calling his mom to say that the police were at the door and eventually got around to a 911 call that claimed that strangers were breaking into their house. That was smart of him, honestly....
3) The police did NOT execute a No Knock Warrant and never stepped into the house.
4) the way the government dealt with the number of death threats and stalking...
That said, the police are hardly blameless here - a hundred things could have been done to make the planned raid much a safer and successful operation. A lot of things went wrong, but it is definitely not the cold-blooded murder I was led by the media to believe
The five stars are for the bravery of telling the truth. I could see this landing him in a suspicious "accidental death" if you catch my drift. I will note that I personally don't mind when someone mentions their personal religious beliefs at all, but I know it really bothers some.
I would have preferred he didn't individually insult all the celebrities who were calling him a cold-blooded white supremacist murderer. I believed Oprah tbh. These celebrities THOUGHT they knew what happened; I am sure they would feel terrible if they knew the real details of the narrative they pushed that contributed to the horror they put all of his loved ones, including Black and Puerto Rican family members, through.
tldr: I feel dumb that i was such a mainstream media sheep on this one.
Breonna Taylor didn't deserve to die, and it's clearly a massive tragedy. We SHOULD #rememberhername. But l remember protesting because I very much believed a narrative that mainstream media, politicians, and celebrities were saying: that police gave no warning and never identified themselves before raiding the "wrong house" and purposely killing Breonna, a woman unconnected with the crimes being investigated, who had every reason to think they weren't police with
warrants but home invaders. Other versions I heard from famous celebrities were that a Black woman had been randomly shot dead while she was asleep and alone in her bed? I was shocked to learn they never even stepped into her home... much less that she wasn't asleep, alone or unarmed. I didn't even know the officer got shot!
Again, she didn't deserve to die, and it's clearly a massive tragedy. Even though it has later come to light that she actually was involved with her big drug dealer ex boyfriend's affairs and that her job had let her go because she mysteriously had a body in her car, there was no reason for her to die in that raid.
Some alarming points for me:
1) Walker knew it was the police. He called his mom to tell her that police were there
but then made up a different story that benefited him for the 911 call when he finally got around to it.
2) He was a horrible boyfriend: he used her body as a shield and then used his privilege as the living witness to say that SHE shot police when it was him. Instead of staying by her side, he did other things - presumably hiding drugs and other evidence - when he should have been immediately dialing 911 and trying to save her life. How was that not the first call he made? Instead, he was calling his mom to say that the police were at the door and eventually got around to a 911 call that claimed that strangers were breaking into their house. That was smart of him, honestly....
3) The police did NOT execute a No Knock Warrant and never stepped into the house.
4) the way the government dealt with the number of death threats and stalking...
That said, the police are hardly blameless here - a hundred things could have been done to make the planned raid much a safer and successful operation. A lot of things went wrong, but it is definitely not the cold-blooded murder I was led by the media to believe
The five stars are for the bravery of telling the truth. I could see this landing him in a suspicious "accidental death" if you catch my drift. I will note that I personally don't mind when someone mentions their personal religious beliefs at all, but I know it really bothers some.
I would have preferred he didn't individually insult all the celebrities who were calling him a cold-blooded white supremacist murderer. I believed Oprah tbh. These celebrities THOUGHT they knew what happened; I am sure they would feel terrible if they knew the real details of the narrative they pushed that contributed to the horror they put all of his loved ones, including Black and Puerto Rican family members, through.
tldr: I feel dumb that i was such a mainstream media sheep on this one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 28, 2022
To be honest I bought this book to support SGT John Mattingly because I knew Go Fund Me had shut down a friend who tried to support him and his family. Now that I’ve read it, I will be purchasing a few more copies because the injustice done to him and his family is appalling. We have returned to the biblical times of stoning, the 18th century Salem Witch Trials, and THEY are getting away with it. SGT Mattingly I wish you would go after the celebrities who beseeched your good name! I knew there was more to this story than what the main stream media and tech was allowing us to see. Have we learned nothing from the shameful Michael Brown incident? Do we continue to ruin peoples lives because a young girl made a bad choice? Young girls make bad choices every day. Thank God they don’t all pay like Brittany did. I’m sorry for what you went through SGT. If you choose to run for office I may be moving to Kentucky. Your faith kept you safe in the Lions Den and I believe he will keep you safe in the future….you may well be our Daniel. God Bless and keep you
June 25, 2022
Absolutely amazing book. Not only does Sergeant Mattingly tell the truth about what happened that night (and who else could but the man standing at the door who took the bullet) but he also shares his heart and how we can at least slow the hatred and divisiveness in this country. His passion is clear and I have great respect and admiration for him. A true American hero!
August 8, 2022
The title of this book should be called “what race hustlers and politicians will do for money and power!” Absolutely disgusting. This is a great book thought and really will open your eyes about what actually happened in this case. What a joke the city of Louisville is.
March 19, 2022
Excellent book. This is a must-read for every American.
May 1, 2022
Written in a conversational tone. I particularly liked the proof in pictures on the relevant pages.
September 14, 2022
Glad to see an officer give his honest and firsthand feedback of what many have misconstrued for months. Some of it is whiny and misses the mark, but none of it is that far off.
May 11, 2023
Good book it made me mad that the boyfriend walked out free and the police lost their job and houses had to go into hiding and the police force did not back them up but threw them under the bus
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 9, 2022
Five stars not because of excellent writing, but because it’s a side of the story that we were not informed of by news media. This officers side of the story deserves to be heard. And we thought we knew the story. Eye opening..
May 5, 2022
A Mind opening read
Such a shame that it took almost 2 years for this side of the story to come out. Reality does not change because of a false narrative pushed by others. Thanks to this brave man for shedding light on the truth.
Such a shame that it took almost 2 years for this side of the story to come out. Reality does not change because of a false narrative pushed by others. Thanks to this brave man for shedding light on the truth.
March 24, 2022
Most ignorance is visible ignorance. We don’t know because we don’t want to know. - Aldous Huxley
April 22, 2022
Thank you
First of all, Mr. Mattingly, thank you for your years of service. Thank you for telling your side of this story. And thank God for men and women like you who are willing to put on a uniform and badge and do the often thankless jobs you do.
First of all, Mr. Mattingly, thank you for your years of service. Thank you for telling your side of this story. And thank God for men and women like you who are willing to put on a uniform and badge and do the often thankless jobs you do.
April 11, 2022
This was a great book that shed light on several problems here in America today. From media misinformation to the court/justice systems.
April 11, 2022
Finally the other side of the story.
This account pulls no punches. The woke society would have us believe that every cop is corrupt, or heartless or a murder. Nothing is further from the truth, especially with this situation. Breonna didn't have to die, the officer didn't have to be shot. Read this account and learn the other side.
This account pulls no punches. The woke society would have us believe that every cop is corrupt, or heartless or a murder. Nothing is further from the truth, especially with this situation. Breonna didn't have to die, the officer didn't have to be shot. Read this account and learn the other side.
April 3, 2022
Interesting read
There is always to sides of a story. People really need to read this book and keep an open mind
There is always to sides of a story. People really need to read this book and keep an open mind
Displaying 1 - 30 of 97 reviews