On March 13, 26-year-old Breonna Taylor was at home with her boyfriend when police entered her residence, shot and killed her. Much controversy has surrounded the case as there are two different accounts of what transpired and the officers weren’t wearing body cameras.
On Thursday, the FBI opened an investigation into the case according to CBS News. “The FBI will collect all available facts and evidence and will ensure that the investigation is conducted in a fair, thorough and impartial manner,” Robert Brown, special agent in charge with FBI Louisville, said in a statement. This comes a week after Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear called for federal investigators to look into the case.
The Louisville Metro Police Department has said that the officers announced their presence, knocked on the door and were immediately fired upon by Kenneth Walker, Taylor’s boyfriend. One of the officers was shot in the leg during the exchange. Walker was arrested and is currently facing charges of first degree assault and attempted murder of a police officer. The officers were executing a warrant to search for drugs in Taylor’s home.
A wrongful death lawsuit filed by Taylor’s family details a different series of events. The lawsuit names officers Myles Cosgrove and Brett Hankison and Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly as defendants. It alleges that the officers were in an unmarked vehicle, in plainclothes and entered the home without announcing they were police officers. Walker, a licensed gun owner, believed someone was trying to break into the home and acted in self-defense. “The Defendants then proceeded to spray gunfire into the residence with a total disregard for the value of human life,” according to the lawsuit.
The case has resulted in the Louisville mayor requiring all police officers to wear body cameras. A lawsuit filed last year against Hankison alleges that the officer was vindictive and had no issue planting drugs. All three of the officers have been placed on administrative leave while an internal investigation takes place.