What happened to Breonna Taylor?

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Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old emergency medical technician, was fatally shot by Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) officers on March 13, 2020. Three LMPD officers executing a no-knock search warrant entered her apartment in Louisville, Kentucky. Gunfire was exchanged between Taylor's boyfriend Kenneth Walker and the officers. Walker said he believed that the officers were intruders. The LMPD officers Jonathan Mattingly, Brett Hankison, and Myles Cosgrove fired over twenty shots. Taylor was shot eight times.  

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The shooting

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The LMPD investigation was searching for two people who were already in police custody and suspected of selling controlled substances from a drug house more than 10 miles away from Breonna’s apartment. One of the people in custody, Jamarcus Glover, had a prior relationship with Taylor. No drugs were found in the apartment. The officers involved, Jonathan Mattingly, Brett Hankison, and Myles Cosgrove in the shooting were not wearing body cameras, although others in the department wore them. 

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Walker was licensed to carry a firearm and fired first, whereupon police returned fire into the apartment with more than 20 rounds. According to a wrongful death lawsuit filed against the police by the Taylor family's attorney, the officers, who entered Taylor's home without knocking or announcing under a no-knock search warrant, allegedly opened fire "with a total disregard for the value of human life." 

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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. Louisville police claim 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, 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 then armed himself. Walker, a licensed firearm carrier, shot first, 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. 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.  

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What happened with her case?

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All three officers involved in the shooting were placed on administrative reassignment pending the outcome of an investigation. The police filed an incident report that was nearly entirely blank. The report stated that Taylor had no injuries, even though she died from gunshot wounds. It also stated that no forced entry occurred, even though the officers had used a battering ram. The police department said that technical errors led to a malformed report. 

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The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)'s Louisville office announced it had opened an investigation on May 21, 2020. Robert Brown, special agent in charge for the office, said, "The FBI will collect all available facts and evidence and will ensure that the investigation is conducted in a fair, thorough and impartial manner." 

 

What can we do? 

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1. Contact Mayor Greg Fischer demanding officers Jonathan Mattingly, Brett Hankison, and Myles Cosgrove are fired.

(502)-574-2003, Greg.Fischer@Louisvilleky.gov

 

2. Contact Attorney Thomas Wine demanding the arrest and prosecution Jonathan Mattingly, Brett Hankison, and Myles Cosgrove.

Winejcooke@Louisvilleprosecuter.com

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3. Contact Attorney Daniel Cameron demanding the arrest and prosecution officers involved, Jonathan Mattingly, Brett Hankison, and Myles Cosgrove.

(502)-696-5300, attorney.general@ag.ky.gov 

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4. Sign the petition demanding  justice for Breonna Taylor

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