Breonna Taylor‘s boyfriend Kenneth Walker has sued the Louisville Metro Police Department. As previously reported, Taylor, a 26-year-old EMT worker, was shot and killed in March when the cops raided her home. 28-year-old Walker was charged with attempted murder because he shot one of the cops that entered their home unannounced. According to The New York Post, Kenneth announced the news in a press conference yesterday (September 1st), saying, “The charges brought against me were meant to silence me and cover up Breonna’s murder. For her, and those that I love, I can no longer remain silent. For her and those that I love, I can no longer remain silent.”
Mayor Greg Fischer, Attorney General Daniel Cameron, Jefferson County Commonwealth’s Attorney Tom Wine, LMPD Police Chief Rob Schroeder, former Chief Steve Conrad, the Louisville Area Governmental Self-Insurance Trust, 13 LMPD officers and unnamed officers are all named in the lawsuit. Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly, Detective Myles Cosgrove, and former Detective Brett Hankison were the officers involved in the shooting.
Walker is seeking unspecified monetary damages from the city and the police department for assault, battery, false arrest and imprisonment, malicious prosecution, abuse of process and negligence.
Walker’s attorney wants an immediate judgement for his immunity under Kentucky’s “stand your ground” law, which prevents officials from prosecuting anyone who acts in self-defense. The civil complaint was filed in the Jefferson County District Court today.
Walker’s attorney has also claimed thathis client didn’t fire the bullet that wounded a Louisville police officer that night. Attorney Steve Romines told the Courier Journal, “We know police are firing wildly from various angles. The timeline and evidence at the scene is more indicative of (police) actually shooting Mattingly than it is Kenny Walker. Kenny continues to reel from the death of the love of his life, but he is also the victim and survivor of police misconduct — misconduct that threatens his freedom to this day.”