Thursday night, protests against police violence took place nationwide. Louisville, Ky., was the site of one such protest as people gathered in honor of Breonna Taylor, the 26-year-old EMT who was shot and killed after police entered her home. New information about the case was released during the evening shortly before the protests transpired.
The 911 call made by Kenneth Walker, Taylor’s boyfriend, on the night of her death has been released, according to CBS News. Walker is heard on the call telling the dispatcher “I don’t know what happened...somebody kicked in the door and shot my girlfriend.” Throughout the call, he’s pleading with Taylor to respond and frantically asking the dispatcher to send help. The dispatcher asks where Taylor has been shot and Walker responds he doesn’t know. An attorney for Taylor’s family released the call Thursday evening.
On March 13, three officers entered Breonna Taylor’s home with a search warrant for illegal drugs. The story from the Louisville Metro Police Department is that the officers, who were executing a “no-knock” warrant at the wrong house, announced their presence and were met with gunfire. A lawsuit filed by Taylor’s family alleges a different series of events, claiming the officers were in plainclothes and didn’t announce their presence. This led Taylor and Walker to believe the men were burglars. Walker, a registered gun owner who fired at what he thought were intruders, was initially arrested and charged with the attempted murder of a police officer. He has since been released and the charges have been dropped.
The release of the call came as Louisville faces a steady wave of protests since the death of Taylor. Thursday night saw the protests escalate, resulting in seven people being shot according to the Courier Journal. The protests began peacefully with approximately 500 to 600 people marching through downtown to Louisville Metro Hall. Things intensified as the night went on and police arrived in full riot gear. At one point shots were fired in the crowd, hitting seven people. Two of the people shot required surgery with the other five victims in good condition. It is unclear who fired the shots, though an LMPD spokesperson has said the police didn’t fire their guns. The police did fire tear gas and paintballs into the crowd. It is unclear how many people were arrested and if any of them were involved in the shooting.
As a result of Taylor’s death and the protests surrounding it, Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer announced that he would be suspending “no-knock” warrants.