The Death of Breonna Taylor

Disclaimer

Hi, I'm Erin, a 17-year-old high school student, passionate about true crime and law! This post is written by a student researcher focused on justice and true crime from a Black perspective. This blog exists to be respectful while exploring true crime cases and social justice issues. Hate speech will not be tolerated.

Overview

    On March 13, 2020, Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman and emergency room technician, was shot and killed in her own apartment during a police raid conducted by the Louisville Metro Police Department. This senseless shooting brought her name to the center of global attention and conversation about race, justice, and police accountability.

    As a Black student who cares deeply about law, crime, and justice with aspirations to be a lawyer, I chose to write my first post about Breonna Taylor not just because her story matters, but also because it reveals how complex and painful justice can be as a Black woman in America.

    This post aims to explain what happened, explore the legal response, and reflect why 5 years later, her case still resonates deeply. My goal is not to sensationalize, but to understand.

Who Was Breonna Taylor?

    Breonna Taylor was a 26-year-old African American woman who served as an EMT then later an emergency room technician in Louisville, Kentucky. Described by her family, Breonna was a bubbly and outgoing person but knew when to be assertive. She had dreams of becoming a neonatal nurse and building a future with her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker. Her life, like many others was filled with so much purpose and many dreams, but that is what makes her story even more heartbreaking.

The Night of the Shooting (March 13, 2020)

    The Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) initially launched an investigation targeting Jamarcus Glover and Adrian Walker, who were suspected of selling controlled substances approximately 10 miles away from Taylor's apartment. Glover, Taylor's ex-boyfriend, used her address and phone number for various reasons and the day before the shooting, a Jefferson County Circuit Court judge approved several search warrants for locations linked to Glover and one of the locations, was the apartment of Breonna Taylor. In the early morning of March 13, at least seven LMPD officers entered Taylor's apartment using a battering ram. Taylor's then-boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, fired one warning shot, initially thinking intruders had entered the home. The single shot hit Officer Jonathan Mattingly, and in response, 32 rounds were fired in the home by the officers. Walker was left unharmed, but, unfortunately, Taylor was hit by six bullets and passed away from her injuries. During the shooting, Officer Brett Hankison moved to the side of the apartment and shot ten times through a covered window and glass door. Walker quickly called 911 and reported that someone broke into his apartment and shot his girlfriend. When police entered and realized Mattingly had been shot, they arrested Kenneth at the scene, and he was later charged with attempted murder of a police officer. The charge against Walker was eventually dropped and he later filed lawsuits against the police department for wrongful arrest and emotional trauma. Although the police entered Taylor's apartment under a "no knock" search warrant, grand jury testimony later revealed they never fully searched her residence.

The Aftermath

    In June 2020, Officer Hankison was fired from LMPD for blindly firing through a covered window and glass door of Taylor's apartment. In September, the city of Louisville paid Taylor's family $12 million and agreed to reform police practices. Later on, it was confirmed Officer Myles Cosgrove fired the fatal shot that killed Breonna Taylor and in 2021, Cosgrove was fired by LMPD. A state grand jury indicted Hankison on three counts of felony first-degree wanton endangerment for endangering Taylor's neighbors in September. On March 3, 2022, Hankison was later acquitted of all endangerment charges by a jury in Kentucky v. Hankison. On August 4, Attorney General, Merrick Garland, announced Hankison was being charged with the unconstitutional use of excessive force that violated Taylor's civil rights. Hankison federal trial began in October 2023 but concluded in a mistrial a month later. A retrial took place a year later and in November 2024, Brett Hankison was found guilty of violating Taylor's civil rights through his use of excessive force. Three other people, Joshua Jaynes, Kelly Goodlett, and Kyle Meany were charged with conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and civil rights violations for attempting to mislead the judge who ordered the search warrant, but their charges were later reduced to misdemeanors. U.S. District Judge, Charles Simpson, later ruled it was Kenneth Walker's that "disrupted" the officers' execution of the search warrant and led to the police shooting and killing Breonna Taylor. However, Judge Simpson did not dismiss the remaining charges against Meany and Jaynes.

Public Reaction

    The shooting occurred in the initial phase of the COVID-19 lockdown and for weeks her death warranted little public and government reaction. Within the next year, the phrase "Say Her Name" became widely used to ensure that Black women like Breonna Taylor were not erased from the conversation around police violence. Four weeks after Breonna's death, her family, friends, and protesters around the country requested for all officers involved in her death to be promptly arrested and charged accordingly. Her story became a symbol of how Black women are often overlooked or neglected in discussions of justice. Protests erupted around the world with people demanding the officers take accountability. Her case also pushed for policy changes, including the banning of "no knock" warrants in Louisville.

Reflection

    I personally decided to write my first post about Breonna Taylor to honor her and try to understand the systems that failed her. Learning more about her case has made me think more deeply about how the law works and how often it doesn't. I hope anyone reading this will remember Breonna not just as a victim, but as a person who deserved to live, to thrive, and to be heard just as much as us. I didn't write this to stir a debate or prompt any hate, but because her life mattered. Talking about racism and injustice can make some people uncomfortable, but for many of us, it's not a debate because it's our reality. My goal is not to be divisive, but to bring awareness and reflection and I want this blog to be a space for truth, learning, and respect

If you've made it this far: Thank you for reading with an open mind and heart! I ask that any comments, if any, remain respectful, not just for me, but for the memory of Breonna Taylor and others like her.