In a way to show transparency between cops and the public, the report, which was released on June 10, showcases how many times police officers in the city have opened fire. So far in 2020 it claims they have opened fire just eight times.
The Louisville Metro Police Department has come under fire after releasing a report on police-involved shootings for the year thus far that doesn't include the name of slain 26-year-old EMT Breonna Taylor. In a way to show transparency between cops and the public, the report, which was released on June 10, showcases how many times police officers in the city have opened fire.
So far in 2020, they say they have opened fire just eight times.
The report includes an entry for the shooting death of Taylor, but her name is not in it. It showcases her boyfriend’s name, Kenneth Walker III, and says, “Officers attempted to make entry into the residence during the execution of a search warrant and were met by gunfire from within the residence.”
“Multiple officers returned fire,” the report added. “One subject was taken into custody and another subject was killed during the incident.”
It lists Walker’s address and his skin color and that his case is open, even though it was dismissed by a judge. It also lists the three officers involved.
LMPD has not returned Inside Edition Digital’s request for comment, nor has Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer.
The data report shows shootings going back as far as 2011 and lists who was involved, the officers, and the narrative.
It also includes a breakdown on the ethnicities of the police involved, as well as the alleged suspects. The majority of officers who opened fire were white. The majority of suspects listed as being involved in the shootings were Black.
On March 13, 2020, police obtained a no-knock warrant before using a battering ram to enter Taylor's apartment at around 1 a.m. as part of a narcotics investigation.
It was announced last month that the FBI is now investigating the death of Taylor.
Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron on Thursday said he has “six or seven” people working on Taylor’s case. He said that a thorough and fair investigation is still ongoing and urged for time and patience, expressing "we will find the truth."
He also addressed the abundance of calls, emails and letters his office has received from citizens around the country who have asked for answers.
“We hear you and we are working around the clock,” he said. "It doesn’t matter who sends in letters to his office, they stand by the facts and the laws."
He said that two months after Taylor’s death, his office was called to step in as Special Prosecutor and investigate the case.
Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer held his own press conference less than an hour later, responding to Cameron's remarks and urging him to move quickly, while keeping city officials involved as much as possible. He also agreed that the investigation must be thorough and fair.
In a lawsuit filed against three officers with the department, Taylor's family said she and her boyfriend were home in bed and thought they were being burglarized when officers showed up at their home. Walker allegedly opened fire on cops with his licensed weapon and one officer was shot in the leg, police said. The lawsuit says police then fired more than 20 rounds into the home “blindly.”
There has been nothing filed in response to the wrongful death lawsuit filed by Breonna Taylor's family, the Jefferson Circuit Court told Inside Edition Digital. Louisville police claimed they knocked on Taylor’s door several times while executing their warrant before entering and identified themselves as police before they were “immediately met by gunfire,” according to Lt. Ted Eidem.
Neighbors of Taylor and Walker, however, said police did not identify themselves, according to the family’s lawsuit.
Louisville police claim they knocked on Taylor’s door several times while executing their warrant before entering and identified themselves as police before they were “immediately met by gunfire,” according to Lt. Ted Eidem. Neighbors of Taylor and Walker, however, said police did not identify themselves, according to the family’s lawsuit. Walker called 911 during the ordeal and police informed him he’d shot an officer.
Neither Taylor nor Walker were the investigation's target. Police had suspected, though, that Taylor’s home was used by another person to receive drugs. Neither Taylor nor Walker had any criminal history and no drugs were located in the home.
Walker, 27, had been charged with assault and attempted murder on a police officer. Walker had previously pleaded not guilty and been released to "home incarceration” before a judge dismissed his case last month.
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