Breonna Taylor

Breonna Taylor was a 26-year-old African-American woman who was fatally shot in her Louisville, Kentucky, apartment on March 13, 2020, by officers of the Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD). The officers were executing a no-knock search warrant as part of a narcotics investigation. The shooting led to widespread protests as part of the Black Lives Matter movement and calls for police reform in the United States.

Background

Breonna Taylor was born on June 5, 1993, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and moved to Louisville, Kentucky, in 2008. She worked for the University of Louisville Health as an emergency medical technician. Taylor had aspirations of becoming a nurse and was known for her caring nature and love of helping others.

The Shooting

On the night of March 13, 2020, three LMPD officers—Jonathan Mattingly, Brett Hankison, and Myles Cosgrove—executed a no-knock warrant on Taylor's apartment, which she shared with her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker. The officers were investigating two men they believed were selling drugs out of a house that was far from Taylor's home. However, a judge had also signed a warrant allowing the police to search Taylor's apartment because it was suspected that one of the men had used her address to receive packages.

Taylor and Walker were asleep when the officers arrived and did not hear the officers announce themselves, according to Walker. Believing the officers to be intruders, Walker fired a warning shot with his legally owned firearm, hitting Officer Mattingly in the leg. The officers returned fire, discharging over twenty rounds, several of which struck and killed Breonna Taylor.

Aftermath

The shooting of Breonna Taylor and the subsequent investigation sparked outrage and protests across the United States, particularly in Louisville. The use of no-knock warrants and the circumstances of the raid led to calls for police reform and justice for Taylor. In June 2020, the Louisville Metro Council unanimously passed "Breonna's Law," banning the use of no-knock warrants.

The officers involved in the shooting were not immediately charged, leading to further public outcry. On September 23, 2020, a grand jury indicted Brett Hankison on three counts of wanton endangerment for firing shots into a neighboring apartment, but no charges were directly related to Taylor's death. The decision prompted nationwide protests.

Legacy

Breonna Taylor's death has become a rallying cry for the Black Lives Matter movement and has sparked a national conversation about police brutality, racial injustice, and the need for systemic reform. Her story has been memorialized in murals, protests, and social media campaigns demanding justice and change.