Notable civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump has been hired to represent the family of decorated Louisville EMT, Breonna Taylor, who was shot eight times by police officers who entered her apartment without knocking or identifying themselves, according to USA Today.
Officers, who allegedly had a search warrant, are said to have been there as part of a narcotics investigation. They did not, however, discover any drugs in Taylor’s apartment.
Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly, along with officers Brett Hankison and Myles Cosgrove, entered Taylor’s residence at approximately 1 a.m. the morning of March 13.
Taylor and her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, were sleeping when the officers entered the home and Walker reacted as if their home was being broken into. Walker shot Mattingly and faces charges of first-degree assault and attempted murder of an officer.
According to the lawsuit, multiple neighbors made statements in Taylor and Walker’s defense, which will be used going forward.
Crump called the shooting “inexcusable” on Monday, May 11, offering further, “We stand with the family of this young woman in demanding answers from the Louisville Police Department. Despite the tragic circumstances surrounding her death, the department has not provided any answers regarding the facts and circumstances of how this tragedy occurred, nor have they taken responsibility for her senseless killing.”
