Kenneth Walker III filed the case one day before the anniversary of Breonna Taylor’s death.
What We Know:
- Walker has filed a federal lawsuit against the Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) and the officers involved in the raid that resulted in the killing of Taylor. Walker’s lawyers say the policemen’s actions violated his Fourth Amendment rights.
- The lawsuit claims the search warrant was based on fabrications, and it was unnecessary to be done in the middle of the night. The officers also did not announce they were police and responded with excessive force. The suit also alleges law enforcement did not coordinate with Louisville Metro’s SWAT team, which normally is sent to handle no-knock raids.
- Cliff Sloan, a Georgetown University Law Center professor on Walker’s case, told ABC News that the lawsuit is important to defend Walker’s constitutional rights. Sloan also says he is “seeking to ensure that there are justice and accountability for the tragic and unjustified police assault on Kenneth Walker and killing of Breonna Taylor.”
- The file also says Walker suffered “mental anguish, emotional distress, trauma, humiliation, embarrassment, and reputational harm.” He is also seeking compensatory and punitive damages. Walker believed the policemen were intruders when they stormed into the apartment he shared with Taylor on March 13, 2020.
- In the act of self-defense, he fired at them, hitting Sgt. John Mattingly in the leg. The officers retaliated with plenty of gunfire, killing Taylor and almost hurting residents in a nearby apartment. Walker was initially arrested and charged for shooting at an officer, but it was dropped last week.
The LMPD told ABC News that they are not commenting on the accusations. Officials are defending the officers’ statements that they knocked and announced themselves at the door. Sgt. Mattingly has also openly apologized for Taylor’s death. However, the officers involved in her death have yet to be charged.
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