Advertisement

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

PA
breonna taylor

Louisville mayor says €10 million settlement agreed with family of Breonna Taylor

Greg Fishcer also said that police reforms will be introduced as part of the agreement.

LOUISVILLE MAYOR Greg Fischer says the city has agreed to a settlement with the family of Breonna Taylor that includes a 12 million US dollars (€10 million) payment and police reforms after she was fatally shot by officers who burst into her apartment at night.

Taylor’s death sparked months of protests in Louisville and calls nationwide for the officers to be criminally charged.

The state’s attorney general, Daniel Cameron, is investigating police actions in the 13 March fatal shooting of the black woman.

“I cannot begin to imagine Ms Palmer’s pain, and I am deeply, deeply sorry for Breonna’s death,” Fischer said, referring to her mother, Tamika Palmer.

A lawsuit, filed in April by Palmer, alleged the police used flawed information when they obtained a “no-knock” warrant to enter the 26-year-old woman’s apartment in March.

Taylor and her boyfriend were roused from bed by police, and her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, has said he fired once at the officers thinking it was an intruder.

Investigators say police were returning fire when they shot Taylor several times. No drugs were found at her home.

“We won’t let Breonna Taylor’s life be swept under the rug,” said Ben Crump, an attorney for Taylor’s family, on Tuesday.

Palmer has said she is trying to be patient about the results of Cameron’s criminal investigation and the long wait, which is now six months since her daughter’s death.

In that time, her daughter’s slaying — along with George Floyd and others — has become a rallying cry for protesters seeking a reckoning on racial justice and police reform.

High-profile celebrities like Oprah Winfrey and LeBron James have called for the officers to be charged in Taylor’s death.

Palmer’s lawsuit accused three Louisville police officers of blindly firing into Taylor’s apartment the night of the March raid, striking her several times.

One of the officers, Jonathan Mattingly, went into the home after the door was broken down and was struck in the leg by the gunshot from Walker.

The warrant was one of five issued in a wide-ranging investigation of a drug trafficking suspect who was a former boyfriend of Taylor’s.

That man, Jamarcus Glover, was arrested at a different location about 10 miles away from Taylor’s apartment on the same evening.

The settlement includes reforms on how warrants are handled by police.

The city has already taken some reform measures, including passing a law named after Taylor that bans the use of the no-knock warrants.

Police typically use them in drug cases over concern that evidence could be destroyed if they announce their arrival.

Mayor Fischer fired former police chief Steve Conrad in June and last week named Yvette Gentry, a former deputy chief, as the new interim police chief.

Gentry would be the first black woman to lead the force of about 1,200 sworn officers. The department has also fired Brett Hankison, one of the three officers who fired shots at Taylor’s apartment that night. Hankison is appealing against the dismissal. 

Your Voice
Readers Comments
52
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy here before taking part.
Leave a Comment
    Submit a report
    Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
    Thank you for the feedback
    Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.

    Leave a commentcancel