Breonna Taylor a 26year old African American woman was fatally shot by Louisville Metro Police Department Officers. Jonathan Mattingly, Brett Hankinson, and Myles Cosgrove on March 13, 2020.
Recently Kenneth Walker her boyfriend said he had not had a restful day since March, 13th, the day the woman he loved and planned to marry, Breonna Taylor, was killed in her apartment in a raid by police officers in Louisville Kentucky.
Walker and Taylor had planned to purchase a home together, get married and have a baby. They had even planned to name the baby ”Kenbre” a union of the first three letters of their names, but those plans according to him, are now destroyed.
Walker speaking on this incidence said ”imagine how someone has to feel in a situation like this? Like why me? …why am I alive and she’s in not?”
Frederick Moore lll one of the attorney representing Walker in a civil lawsuit, said in an interview that ”they were both shot at thirty times.
Steve Romines another of walkers attorney said his client has been living in constant fear. ‘‘When you are shoot at 30 times and you see a loved one basically executed in front of you, you never recover from that… this is something that haunts him every night.” Worst still, is while going through all that trauma, he gets arrested and that is terrible he added. He didn’t even get to go to her funeral.
Walker was with Taylor when Louisville police officers forced their way into her apartment in search of drugs and cash, from drug trafficking, in an investigation involving her ex-boyfriend Jarmacus Glover, a convicted drug dealer. He had listed her apartment as his address and used it to receive packages, authorities said. No drugs or cash was recovered from the apartment, according to search warrant documents obtained from NBC’s News. Taylor had no criminal records and she was never the subject of an enquiry.
The policed officers said they only fired into Taylor’s apartment, only when they were fire upon by walker. Meanwhile Walker who had license to carry, claimed that police did not identify themselves in the early morning hours, which the police have also denied.
Walker fired his gun once at Sgt Jonathan Mattingly in the thigh, according to police. Walker called 911 and told a dispatcher that ”somebody kicked in the door and killed my girlfriend.” When questioned in the botched raid Walker claimed he acted in self defence.
”It’s the middle of the night he said in an audio released in May 28 by Thomas Wine, the Jefferson county prosecutor and Mayor Greg Fischer. ”Somebody is beating on the door and not saying who they are, like what are you going to do if you are home with your family and somebody’s beating on your door and you don’t know who it is after you have asked who it is.”
He was subsequently charged with attempted murder of a police officer and assault. Walker and his attorneys believed the charges were dismissed in May after the case drew National attention and interventions from professional athletes, celebrities and politicians amongst others. According to his attorney Romines, he said Walker would still be in jail, if not for the publicity this incidence got.
He stated that situations like this, where people are falsely charged by the police, and have no resources to pursue or defend themselves, happens on daily basis all over the country and victims are put in a position where they are made to cut a deal and accept fewer jail terms for crimes they didn’t commit or knew nothing about. Walker had been held on a $250,000 full cash bond before he was released in March to home incarceration
Romines said authorities tried to keep Walker in jail on a high bond to have leverage on him and to justify Taylor’s murder which has become a rallying cry for police reform.
Walker said that, ” the charges brought against me were to cover up Breonna’s murder… for her and those that I have loved I can no longer keep silent.” His attorney has expressed doubt as to whether the bullet from his gun even struck Mattingly as police alleged. Ballistic reports however, will clarify our doubts he added.
Walker had filed a civil lawsuit against the city of Louisville, its police department, and others, saying he can no longer keep mute over all he’s been through.
Consequently, Detective Brett Hankinson, who shot ten rounds blindly into the apartment, was fired in June. Officer Myles Cosgrove who fired his weapon at the scene and the officer who requested the warrant have both been places on administrative leave.
While two police spokesperson refused to comment on a pending litigation the Mayor has repeatedly said that ”Breonna Taylor’s death was a tragedy and justice peace and healing are what is needed for her loved ones and our community.”
Daniel Cameron, the Kentucky attorney General and the FBI are now leading the investigation.
