Louisville police conducting a drug bust charged into Breonna Taylor's house and shot her 8 times. Her family says they were at the wrong address.
Rhea Mahbubani MAY 13, 2020 INSIDER
Tamika Palmer, left, embraced her daughter Ju'Niyah Palmer during a vigil for her other daughter, Breonna Taylor, in Louisville, Kentucky, on March 19. Sam Upshaw Jr./Courier Journal/Reuters
Breonna Taylor, 26, was shot and killed by the police in her home in Louisville, Kentucky, on March 13 during a narcotics bust.
Breonna Taylor, 26, was shot and killed by the police in her home in Louisville, Kentucky, on March 13 during a narcotics bust.
The police said someone inside the apartment opened fire at them, injuring an officer.
But a defense attorney for Taylor's boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, said in a court filing that the police didn't announce themselves while entering, so Walker thought someone was breaking into the apartment.
Taylor's family is being represented by Benjamin Crump, a well-known civil-rights attorney who has represented other black shooting victims, including Ahmaud Arbery and Trayvon Martin.
The shooting death of yet another black person has been thrust into the national spotlight.
This time it's the case of Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old emergency medical technician who was killed by the police in her home in Louisville, Kentucky, during a narcotics bust in the early hours of March 13.
The police said they returned fire after someone in the apartment shot at them, injuring an officer, The Associated Press reported.
Rob Eggert, a defense attorney for Taylor's boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, said in a recent court filing that the police team — two officers and one sergeant — didn't knock or announce themselves when entering the apartment, the Louisville Courier Journal reported on Tuesday.
"While police may claim to have identified themselves, they did not," Eggert wrote in the filing seen by the Courier Journal. "Mr. Walker and Ms. Taylor again heard a large bang on the door. Again, when they inquired there was no response that there was police outside. At this point, the door suddenly explodes. Counsel believes that police hit the door with a battering ram."
Photos of Taylor were displayed during a vigil for her on March 19. Sam Upshaw Jr./Courier Journal/ReutersA complaint filed late last month by attorneys representing Taylor's family said that Walker fired one round in self-defense but that officers "failed to use any sound reasonable judgment whatsoever when firing more than 25 blind shots into multiple homes."
Eggert said that he later inspected the building where the pair lived and found evidence of at least 20 gunshots, eight of which hit Taylor, killing her, the Courier Journal reported.
The complaint said that Taylor "was shot at least eight times by the officers' gunfire and died as a result," adding that she "had posed no threat to the officers and did nothing to deserve to die at their hands."
Her family initially had a hard time finding out what happened
Taylor's family described her as a kind and honest person who loved helping people in her role as an EMT.
Tamika Palmer, Taylor's mother, told the news website The 19th that a phone call from Walker roused her from sleep in the middle of the night on March 13.
"I think they shot Breonna," Walker told her, prompting Palmer to throw on some clothes and race out of her house for Taylor's apartment.
Palmer recalled that the police were tight-lipped, seeking information on Taylor's enemies and whether she was having issues with Walker.
Palmer drove from the apartment to the hospital and back to the apartment in search of information about her child — only to realize that Taylor had died.
Palmer said she struggled to reconcile her concern for her daughter's safety while she was working on the front lines of the pandemic with her death in her own home.
"She was an essential worker. She had to go to work," Palmer said The 19th. "She didn't have a problem with that ... To not be able to sleep in her own bed without someone busting down her door and taking her life ... I was just like, 'Make sure you wash your hands!'"
An attorney who's also representing Ahmaud Arbery's family is on the case
In the lawsuit filed in late April, Taylor's family alleged that officers weren't looking for Taylor or Walker — they said the police executed the raid at the wrong address, despite having already taken a suspect into custody earlier that day.
The Courier Journal identified the suspect as Jamarcus Glover. The lawsuit said that he was detained more than 10 miles from Taylor's house and that officers identified Glover before executing the search warrant at Taylor's house, where they didn't find any drugs.
Police Chief Steve Conrad said that the police department's Criminal Interdiction Squad, which was involved in the shooting, does not use body cameras, so there's no footage of the incident, according to the Courier Journal.
The three officers involved in the case have been placed on administrative leave, the Courier Journal said, while Walker, a licensed gun owner, was arrested and faces charges of first-degree assault and attempted murder of a police officer, according to The 19th.
"Not one person has talked to me. Not one person has explained anything to me," Palmer told The 19th. "I want justice for her. I want them to say her name. There's no reason Breonna should be dead at all."
Having accused the officers of wrongful death, excessive force, and gross negligence, Taylor's family on Monday enlisted the help of Benjamin Crump, a well-known civil-rights and personal-injury attorney.
Crump issued a statement to news outlets, describing Taylor's killing as "inexcusable."
Eggert said that he later inspected the building where the pair lived and found evidence of at least 20 gunshots, eight of which hit Taylor, killing her, the Courier Journal reported.
The complaint said that Taylor "was shot at least eight times by the officers' gunfire and died as a result," adding that she "had posed no threat to the officers and did nothing to deserve to die at their hands."
Her family initially had a hard time finding out what happened
Taylor's family described her as a kind and honest person who loved helping people in her role as an EMT.
Tamika Palmer, Taylor's mother, told the news website The 19th that a phone call from Walker roused her from sleep in the middle of the night on March 13.
"I think they shot Breonna," Walker told her, prompting Palmer to throw on some clothes and race out of her house for Taylor's apartment.
Palmer recalled that the police were tight-lipped, seeking information on Taylor's enemies and whether she was having issues with Walker.
Palmer drove from the apartment to the hospital and back to the apartment in search of information about her child — only to realize that Taylor had died.
Palmer said she struggled to reconcile her concern for her daughter's safety while she was working on the front lines of the pandemic with her death in her own home.
"She was an essential worker. She had to go to work," Palmer said The 19th. "She didn't have a problem with that ... To not be able to sleep in her own bed without someone busting down her door and taking her life ... I was just like, 'Make sure you wash your hands!'"
An attorney who's also representing Ahmaud Arbery's family is on the case
In the lawsuit filed in late April, Taylor's family alleged that officers weren't looking for Taylor or Walker — they said the police executed the raid at the wrong address, despite having already taken a suspect into custody earlier that day.
The Courier Journal identified the suspect as Jamarcus Glover. The lawsuit said that he was detained more than 10 miles from Taylor's house and that officers identified Glover before executing the search warrant at Taylor's house, where they didn't find any drugs.
Police Chief Steve Conrad said that the police department's Criminal Interdiction Squad, which was involved in the shooting, does not use body cameras, so there's no footage of the incident, according to the Courier Journal.
The three officers involved in the case have been placed on administrative leave, the Courier Journal said, while Walker, a licensed gun owner, was arrested and faces charges of first-degree assault and attempted murder of a police officer, according to The 19th.
"Not one person has talked to me. Not one person has explained anything to me," Palmer told The 19th. "I want justice for her. I want them to say her name. There's no reason Breonna should be dead at all."
Having accused the officers of wrongful death, excessive force, and gross negligence, Taylor's family on Monday enlisted the help of Benjamin Crump, a well-known civil-rights and personal-injury attorney.
Crump issued a statement to news outlets, describing Taylor's killing as "inexcusable."
Attorney Ben Crump discussing the results of a forensic examination. Jay Reeves/AP"We stand with the family of this young woman in demanding answers from the Louisville Police Department," Crump said. "Despite the tragic circumstances surrounding her death, the Department has not provided any answers regarding the facts and circumstances of how this tragedy occurred, nor have they taken responsibility for her senseless killing."
Crump is among the lawyers working with the family of Ahmaud Arbery, a black man who was shot dead while jogging in southern Georgia on February 23 after being pursued by Gregory McMichael and his son, Travis McMichael, both of whom are white.
The pair told the police that Arbery resembled a burglary suspect. They were arrested last week, more than two months after Arbery died; they face charges of murder and aggravated assault.
The delay of justice in Arbery's case has triggered waves of unrest and protests, as well as investigations into and calls for the resignations of local prosecutors.
Crump also represented the family of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teenager who was shot and killed by George Zimmerman, a neighborhood-watch volunteer, in Florida in 2012.
Meanwhile, it's been nearly two months since Taylor was killed, but her death gained more attention after the activist Shaun King shared her story on social media.
King has pushed for charges to be brought against the officers and called on Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear to intervene.
A Change.org petition seeking justice for Taylor had amassed over 11,000 signatures as of Tuesday evening.
"For weeks, the city treated Breonna like she was a criminal, calling her a 'suspect' before finally admitting that she was an innocent, crimeless victim," the petition said. "She had no drugs. She committed no crime. Yet, she is dead, and the perpetrators are facing no charges."
Taylor's sister, Ju'Niyah Palmer, has been posting pictures of the two on social media and using the hashtag #JusticeForBre.
She told The 19th that her goal was to remind people that Taylor was a victim — she didn't have so much as a criminal record.
"I'm just getting awareness for my sister, for people to know who she is, what her name is," she said.
Crump is among the lawyers working with the family of Ahmaud Arbery, a black man who was shot dead while jogging in southern Georgia on February 23 after being pursued by Gregory McMichael and his son, Travis McMichael, both of whom are white.
The pair told the police that Arbery resembled a burglary suspect. They were arrested last week, more than two months after Arbery died; they face charges of murder and aggravated assault.
The delay of justice in Arbery's case has triggered waves of unrest and protests, as well as investigations into and calls for the resignations of local prosecutors.
Crump also represented the family of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teenager who was shot and killed by George Zimmerman, a neighborhood-watch volunteer, in Florida in 2012.
Meanwhile, it's been nearly two months since Taylor was killed, but her death gained more attention after the activist Shaun King shared her story on social media.
King has pushed for charges to be brought against the officers and called on Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear to intervene.
A Change.org petition seeking justice for Taylor had amassed over 11,000 signatures as of Tuesday evening.
"For weeks, the city treated Breonna like she was a criminal, calling her a 'suspect' before finally admitting that she was an innocent, crimeless victim," the petition said. "She had no drugs. She committed no crime. Yet, she is dead, and the perpetrators are facing no charges."
Taylor's sister, Ju'Niyah Palmer, has been posting pictures of the two on social media and using the hashtag #JusticeForBre.
She told The 19th that her goal was to remind people that Taylor was a victim — she didn't have so much as a criminal record.
"I'm just getting awareness for my sister, for people to know who she is, what her name is," she said.
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