People are calling for justice.
Anti-racism protests have broken out across the world, prompted by the brutal killing of George Floyd on 25 May. But while George’s horrific (and filmed) death was the catalyst, he was not the only name for whom people were demanding justice.
People across the world are calling for justice for Breonna Taylor.
Breonna Taylor was a black woman who was killed in her home by police who broke in while she slept. And despite the incident happening on 13 March, it has only recently become widely spoken about.
The essential worker (an Emergency Medical Technician) who would have turned 27 this month, was reportedly shot eight times by police after Breonna’s partner opened fire at them, mistaking their drug raid for a home robbery.
The officers involved - Jon Mattingly, Myles Cosgrove, and Brett Hankison - reportedly claimed that they knocked and announced themselves before entering the home with a battering ram. According to ABS news however, Breonna’s family’s lawsuit, filed on April 27, disputes the claims, stating that the police ‘did not knock or identify themselves prior to entering Breonna’s home’.
It has since been reported that the police entered in plain clothes with a no knock search warrant as part of a drug raid. No drugs were found.
While the Louisville council has now passed 'Breonna's Law' banning no-knock warrants, there is still more to be done to get justice, something that was proven by the release of a police report for Breonna Taylor’s killing.
The police report, released by the Louisville Metro Police Department, has caused outrage, with a lot of the details appearing to have been left out.
According to a report by Intelligencer, ‘the police document states Taylor’s name, a case number, and the time and date of the shooting, but leaves blank details already made public, including her date of birth.’
Not to mention, the ‘forced entry’ section of the report was marked wth a ‘no’ and despite it being widely known that she was shot eight time by police, the section for injuries was left empty.
Intelligencer called the blank report a ‘negligent level of commitment to police accountability at best and an attempt to avoid being held to an official document in future proceedings at worst.’
Jon Mattingly, Myles Cosgrove, and Brett Hankison have been placed on administrative leave. The investigation is still ongoing.
