Louisville closes Breonna Taylor’s wrongful death lawsuit, agrees to financial settlement

The Louisville’s metro government on Tuesday reached an agreement with the family of Breonna Taylor to settle the ‘wrongful death’ lawsuit, CNN reported. The 26-year-old Black woman was shot by police in her apartment six months ago. The incident had sparked months-long protests in the city.

According to the report, the deal involves a substantial financial settlement along with several policing reforms, including a rule for drug and alcohol testing of officers involved in any shooting. The settlement amount has not yet been revealed though CNN reports it as a ‘multimillion-dollar deal,’ quoting a family member.

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“The city’s response, in this case, has been delayed and it’s been frustrating, but the fact that they’ve been willing to sit down and talk a significant reform was a step in the right direction and hopefully a turning point,” said Sam Aguilar, confirming the reports.

Taylor was fatally shot after three Louisville Metro Police officers entered her apartment on March 13 to serve a signed “no-knock” search warrant in connection with a narcotics investigation centred 10 miles away. Gunfire was exchanged between Taylor’s boyfriend Kenneth Walker and the officers. Walker said that he believed that the officers were intruders. Taylor was shot eight times.

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The three officers, accused in the case were not charged with a crime.  The police chief, involved with the case was fired in June after a separate police shooting. The Louisville city council also passed “Breonna’s Law,” which banned no-knock search warrants.

A grand jury was formed to investigate the shooting. Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron was appointed as a special prosecutor in the case earlier this year. 

“My office is continually asked about a timeline regarding the investigation into the death of Breonna Taylor. An investigation, if done properly, cannot follow a specific timeline,” he had tweeted last week.