Tamika Palmer spoke of her daughters hopes and dreams, as well as her fears, in an interview with Inside Edition Digital.
A nearly blank police report filed by the Louisville Metropolitan Police Department in connection to the killing of Breonna Taylor says the 26-year-old EMT "sustained no injuries" in the shooting that took her life.
The report, obtained by Inside Edition Digital, also says that there was no forced entry into Taylor's apartment, which police reportedly barged into after using a battering ram. The four page report lists the charges as "death investigation — LMPD involved" and Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly, 47, and officers Brett Hankison, 44 and Myles Cosgrove, 42, as the offenders in the case. They have not been criminally charged and have been placed on administrative duty pending an internal investigation.
The report indicates that the shooting occurred just before 1 a.m. that day at 12:43 a.m. The "narrative" of events says it was a "PIU investigation." And the rest of the report has no information filled in at all.
"Inaccuracies in the report are unacceptable to us, and we are taking immediate steps to correct the report and to ensure the accuracy of incident reports going forward," LMPD said in a statement.
Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said the report was “unacceptable” and apologized to Taylor’s family.
Tamika Palmer, Breonna’s mother, said she always feared police, but never expected anything to happen like this to a member of her family, especially her daughter.
“I've always feared police contact just because as a black person, I don't think I've ever thought that they would break down her door and do what they did,” Palmer told Inside Edition Digital. “I mean I've heard of it happening before, but it's very, it's hard because, to know that Breonna is not this type of person and she doesn't live this type of life, for you to even end up there? Not in a million years would I have ever thought about it in that aspect.”
On March 13, 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.
“I have a 24-year-old daughter, and I said, ‘That could have easily been my daughter,’” Palmer’s attorney, Lonita Baker, told Inside Edition Digital. “That's what we have to think about. That's what America is thinking about when you hear about Breonna's case, in that this is a young lady who did everything right, but police still, because of their fixation with someone else, used her as a pawn, and now she's not here.”
It was announced last month that the FBI is now investigating the death of Taylor.
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 round into the home “blindly.”
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.
“She was the future," Baker added. "Breonna is who we want our daughters to become."
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