Breonna Taylor Wiki – Breonna Taylor Biography
On March 13th, 2020, Breonna Taylor African American woman, was fatally shot by Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) officers. Sergeant Jonathan Mattingly, Detective Brett Hankison, and Detective Myles Cosgrove started her home in plainclothes in Louisville, Kentucky, while attending a “no-knock warrant”.Gunfire was transferred between Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, and LMPD officers who opened the apartment. Taylor was shot 8th times and Mattingly was injured by gunfire. Another police officer and an LMPD lieutenant were on the scene when the warrant was executed.
The LMPD research centered on two people who were already in police custody and suspected of selling controlled substances from a drug house more than 10 miles (16 km) away. One of the people in custody, Jamarcus Glover, had a prior relationship with Taylor. The search warrant included Taylor’s residence because it was suspected of receiving drugs in the case and because a car registered to Taylor had been seen parked on many occasions in front of Glover’s house. No drugs were found in the apartment.
According to police, Walker fired first, injuring a law enforcement officer, and police returned fire. According to a wrongful death lawsuit filed against the police by the Taylor family’s attorney, the officers entered the home without knocking or announcing that they were police officers, and allegedly opened fire “with a total disregard for the value of human life.” Her origins were Tamika Palmer and Troy Herrod. She graduated from Western High School and went on to study at the University of Kentucky. She was an emergency medical technician and worked at two hospitals, the University of Louisville Jewish Hospital and Norton Healthcare. At the time of her death, she was working for the University of Louisville Health. She was laid to rest on March 21, 2020. Kenneth Walker was Taylor’s boyfriend, who lived with her in the apartment. Jonathan Mattingly is an LMPD police sergeant who joined the department in 2000. Brett Hankison is an LMPD plainclothes detective. Myles Cosgrove is an LMPD plainclothes detective.
Breonna Taylor Age
Breonna Taylor (June 5, 1993 – March 13, 2020) was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Investigations
All officers involved in the shooting were placed on administrative reassignment pending the outcome of an investigation.
Taylor’s Family
On May 15, Taylor’s family arranged a wrongful death claim. It states that Taylor and Walker were relaxing in their bedroom before the incident happened and that the police officers were in unmarked vehicles. None of the officers were wearing body cameras, as all three were plainclothes narcotics officers. Taylor and Walker thought their home had been broken into by criminals and that “they were an insignificant imminent danger.” The lawsuit alleges that “the officers then entered Breonna’s home without knocking and without announcing themselves as police officers. The Defendants then proceeded to spray gunfire into the residence with a total disregard for the value of human life.”
Boyfriend
Walker originally faced criminal charges of first-degree crime and tried the murder of a police officer. The LMPD alleged that the officers announced themselves before entering the home and were immediately met with gunfire from Walker. According to their statement, Walker discharged his firearm first, injuring an officer. Walker’s lawyer said Walker thought that someone was entering the residence illegally and that Walker acted only in self-defense. The 911 calls were later released to the public, with Walker recorded telling the 911 operator, “somebody kicked in the door and shot my girlfriend”. Walker was later released from jail due to coronavirus concerns, which drew criticism from Louisville Metro Police Department Chief Steve Conrad.
On May 22, Judge Olu Stevens released Walker from home incarceration. In late May, Commonwealth’s Attorney Tom Wine moved to dismiss all charges against Walker. The case could be presented to a grand jury again after reviewing the results of the FBI’s and the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office’s investigations. Wine dropped the charges because the officers never mentioned Taylor by name to the grand jury or that they shot her. Walker’s close friends said that his job was to protect Taylor at any cost. Rob Eggert, an attorney representing Walker, released a statement saying, “he just wanted to resume his life”. At the same time, his attorney said that he could be charged again later as more facts come out of the shooting.
Death Cause
Shortly after midnight on March 13, 2020, Louisville police entered the apartment of Breonna Taylor, and Kenneth Walker using a battering ram to force open the door. The police were investigating two men they believed were selling drugs at a home far from the apartment. The Taylor/Walker home was included in a signed “no-knock” search warrant because of a claim that one of the men used it to receive packages. The suspected drug dealer had allegedly been seen walking into Taylor’s apartment one January afternoon with a USPS package before leaving and driving to a known drug house, and the warrant claimed that a US Postal Inspector confirmed that the man had been receiving packages at the apartment. Postal Inspector Tony Gooden has said that he never spoke to LMPD about this issue and would not have been able to supply that information anyway. Warrants such as these have become commonplace during the War on Drugs, as have multiple instances of stray bullets hitting unintended targets and innocent people being killed and wounded.
Despite the “no-knock” warrant allowing officers not to announce themselves while entering, Louisville police claimed they announced themselves while entering the home after knocking several times and saying they were Louisville police officers with a search warrant. Neighbors and Taylor’s family dispute this claim, saying there was no announcement and that Walker and Taylor believed someone was breaking in, causing Walker to act in self-defense. Walker said in his police interrogation that Taylor yelled multiple times, “Who is it?” after hearing a loud bang at the door, but received no answer and that he had armed himself as they had heard no response. Walker is a licensed firearm carrier. He then shot first, striking a police officer in the leg; in response, the officers opened fire with more than 20 rounds, hitting objects in the living room, dining room, kitchen, hallway, bathroom, and both bedrooms. Taylor was shot at least eight times and pronounced dead at the scene.No drugs were found in the apartment. According to anonymous sources who spoke to WAVE3 News, one of the three officers allegedly fired blindly from the exterior of the residence, through a window with closed blinds and curtains; the sources said they do not believe Taylor was struck by any of the bullets fired by the officer who was outside.
