Originally Posted by IrishLion View Post
Police officers shot a woman sleeping in her own home, then let her suffocate on her own blood in the hallway.
One of those police officers lost his job. But there are no criminal charges related to her death, just the irresponsible discharge of a firearm.
So police can *accidentally* kill someone, and are STILL protected from facing criminal charges related to said death.
THIS IS A PROBLEM.
I suspect it was likely more complicated than that.
I suspect Lion has distilled Taylor's murder down accurately. You may well be aware of all the details. But I'll risk fleshing it out if Dakota won't. Louisville Metro Breona Taylor's boyfriend, Kenneth Walker heard the knock on the door, carried a licensed firearm, and did not hear any announcement of who they were by police. Eleven other witnesses said the police did not announce themselves.
Police contend they announced themselves then when there was no answer, broke down the door. Walker shot once hitting a cop in the leg after which there was the hail of gunfire by law enforcement of over thirty rounds. Walker was arrested and charged with attempted murder of a police officer, which he contends was intimidation. Walker's defense was Kentucky's Stand Your Ground law, clearly justifiable, but also the Castle Doctriine in defense of invasion of your home. Walker's criminal charge was dismissed.
Body cameras were worn by some of the Louisville Metro documented by after-incident photos. When those were subpoenaed, the LMPD said they did not exist. They would have determined if the police announced themselves. Police also said they originally obtained a no-knock warrant but changed it to a knock and announce search warrant.
The primary targets of the Louisville Metro PD investigation were Jamarcus Glover and Adrian Walker, who were suspected of selling controlled substances from a drug house more than 10 miles away. The apartment was Breona Taylor's. Police obtained the warrant by saying an unknown package, presumed to be drugs, and that this package went to Walker's address soon afterward, and was a known "drug apartment". No drugs were recovered.
This warrant states that this event was verified "through a US Postal Inspector.". The U.S. postal inspector in Louisville publicly announced that the collaboration with law enforcement had never actually occurred. In effect, this was an illegal raid obtained under false pretenses on an innocent, law-abiding person who was killed and whose boyfriend was acting within his rights.
Louisville has settled a lawsuit with Taylor's family for $12 million plus "none negotiable" police reforms. Five million of that will come from the Metro budget. Walker also has a lawsuit for $10.5 million, which presumably will also be settled.
https://www.wtvq.com/2020/09/15/louisville-to-announce-taylor-lawsuit-settlement-newspaper/
The reforms on Louisville Metro include a requirement commanders approve all search warrants before they go to a judge, housing credits to officers who agree to live within low-income areas, and drug and alcohol testing of officers involved in any shooting.
In addition, officers will be required to volunteer two hours every two weeks in the community, social service workers to accompany officers on certain calls, detailed reporting by the chief in officers’ personnel files, stricter protocols for seized funds, ad developing an early-warning system to spot potential problems with officers.
An interim Police Chief, who is black and female, has been appointed. She will be the troubled department's third chief since the March killing of Breonna Taylor. Whether any due diligence by Louisville Metro was done other than an unknown package was delivered such as observations by Police of drug activity, verification by witnesses of drugs, neighbors discreetly interviewed have never been reported. These as well as testimony from the officers and the PD would come out in any civil or criminal proceeding, which Louisville seems intent on avoiding.
Yeah, THIS IS A PROBLEM.
