Photo Courtesy of Kenneth Walker
Breonna Taylor’s boyfriend Kenneth Walker files a lawsuit against Louisville Police Department for the violation of his constitutional rights under the fourth amendment.
Breonna Taylor and her boyfriend were home together on the night of March 13, 2020, when three police officers raided their apartment. The officers: Brett Hankison, Myles Cosgrove, and Jonathan Mattingly carried out a misled “no-knock” warrant to search Taylor’s apartment.
Walker, believing that their home was being invaded, fired a shot with a legal gun that was in his possession; and injured one of the officers in the leg. In response, the officers opened fire; shooting Breonna Taylor eight times, and nearly injured a nearby family in one of the apartments close by.
The warrant issued was in search for Taylor’s ex-boyfriend Jamarcus Glover, which had been already arrested earlier that same night.
According to CNN, The court ruled that “the warrant was based on fabricated assertions.” The raid was unnecessarily conducted in the middle of the night,and the officers did not announce they were police. And the officers responded with excessive force.”
Kenneth Walker was arrested that night, charged with attempted murder only for them to be dropped in May of last year; and fully dismissed in March 2021.
Brett Hankison was charged with 3 counts of first-degree wanton endangerment for the actions of that night but pleaded not guilty.
Related Story: 10-Year-Old Ayden Wolfe Died At The Hands Of His Mother’s Abusive Boyfriend In Harlem
BET states that Cliff Sloan, one of the lawyers representing Walker, mentioned in a statement, “We are seeking to ensure that there is justice and accountability for the tragic and unjustified police assault on Kenneth Walker and killing of Breonna Taylor in her home in the middle of the night.”
Myles Cosgrove, an officer involved in the raid, and Joshua Jaynes who wrote the search warrant, were both fired in January.
In June of last year, the Louisville Metro Council passed “Breonna’s Law” banning the “no-knock” search warrant.