Where to even begin.
If you haven’t heard (which is like — come on), Breonna Taylor is a 26-year-old EMT who was shot and killed by police after they issued a no-knock warrant on the wrong house at 1 a.m. on March 13, 2020. Breonna Taylor’s death played a large part in the recent resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement along with the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd.
Soon after her death, her family filed a wrongful death and personal injury lawsuit against the officers responsible for the raid, Brett Hankison, Myles Cosgrove and Jonathan Mattingly. Breonna Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, “was arrested and charged with attempted murder of a police officer and first-degree assault, according to online court records,” stated by a CNN article from May 2020. He was released for home incarceration in June, and the charges have since been dropped [ABC News].
- Happening Now
-
As of the morning of Tuesday, September 15, 2020, the City of Louisville has settled the Taylor family’s wrongful death and personal injury lawsuit, which includes, according to The Washington Post, “a cash payout and sweeping police reform.” A CNN article claims the “cash payout” translates to “a multimillion-dollar settlement.”
Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer is expected to announce the details of the settlement in a press conference later Tuesday.
- More Recent Updates
-
The other half of this case is the charges against the officers. As of right now, there are none. Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron is leading the investigation into the officers’ actions. In June, Brett Hankinson, the officer who fired 10 shots “wantonly and blindly” into the apartment, was fired from the police department, and the other two officers have been put on administrative leave, but those have been the only actions taken against the officers so far.
On August 30, Daniel Cameron tweeted that he had “received the FBI ballistics report in the Breonna Taylor investigation.”
The next day, August 31, he tweeted again that he and his team had met with the FBI in Louisville to “review the ballistics report.”
On September 9, Cameron once again made a statement regarding the timeline of the case, shown below.
He has not made a statement on the case since then.
- For Clarity
-
The Taylor family’s lawsuit and the criminal investigation into Breonna’s death are completely separate. While the lawsuit settlement may have underlying implications about the city’s views on the case, the investigation led by Cameron and the FBI will reportedly not be impacted by the settlement.
Due to the political nature of the case and the larger Black Lives Matter movement, it’s worth mentioning that Attorney General Daniel Cameron is Kentucky’s first Black Attorney General and first Black Republican Attorney General. He is also the first Republican elected to the position since 1948 [cameronforkentucky.com].
In short, Breonna Taylor’s case is still ongoing. While justice has not fully been served, changes have already been made in her respect. In June, Louisville passed “Breonna’s Law,” banning no-knock warrants. Brett Hankinson is no longer a police officer. While money can never erase the pain of a lost loved one, the Taylor family is receiving the compensation they deserve for the police department’s “miscalculation.”
We’ll keep you updated on changes to Breonna Taylor’s case over on our Instagram and Twitter, so be sure to stay informed.