The Louisville office of the FBI is making the investigation into the death of Breonna Taylor a “top priority.”
Robert Brown, the special agent in charge of Louisville’s FBI field office, told ABC News his team has been working “urgently and expeditiously” to determine whether the Louisville police officers who fatally shot Taylor while executing a no-knock warrant on Taylor’s apartment in March violated her civil rights.
“We have our best agents working on this,” Brown said. “This is definitely our top priority.”
Taylor, a 26-year-old black woman, died after being shot eight times by police officers who entered her home in the middle of the night without identifying themselves to execute a no-knock search warrant to see if she had received packages containing drugs from a known dealer. Kenneth Walker, Taylor’s boyfriend, said he heard the officers break into the home and fired his weapon at them, thinking it was a home invasion. The officers returned fire, killing Taylor. Authorities found no drugs in Taylor’s home.
Brown said the investigation could take time, adding, “In my experience it’s better to be meticulous and do it right, than to rush.”
One of the three officers involved in Taylor’s death has been fired by the police department. The attorney for that fired officer, Brett Hankison, wrote an appeal letter that claims Hankison’s firing was premature.
None of the officers have been charged in connection to the incident. Taylor’s family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit.
Protesters have been calling for all of the officers involved in the raid on Taylor’s apartment to be fired and charged. Taylor’s death, along with the death of George Floyd and others, have inspired nationwide protests calling for the end to police brutality and racial injustice.
On the federal level, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, a Republican, has been working on legislation that could terminate the use of no-knock warrants.
