The Louisville Metro Police Department released the report on Breonna Taylor’s death but gave the public almost no details on what transpired the night she was shot by police officers.
The department’s report contained scant details and claimed that 26-year-old Taylor received no injuries during the incident, despite being shot eight times and later dying. Activists who had waited months for the report to be released were outraged to receive the nearly empty report.
“I’m appalled by LMPD’s nearly BLANK incident report from the investigation of #BreonnaTaylor’s murder. It lists “NONE” under Breonna’s injuries… She was SHOT 8 TIMES!! It took 3 months to produce and release this report publicly – and THIS is what we get?!” tweeted Ben Crump, a civil rights attorney who is representing the family of George Floyd.
I’m appalled by LMPD’s nearly BLANK incident report from the investigation of #BreonnaTaylor‘s murder. It lists “NONE” under Breonna’s injuries… She was SHOT 8 TIMES!! It took 3 months to produce and release this report publicly – and THIS is what we get?! #JusticeForBre pic.twitter.com/9vEKmpBtCi
— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) June 11, 2020
The report, which would typically outline the series of events that took place during the incident, was mostly left blank. Under the “narrative” section, the department only wrote: PIU [Public Integrity Unit] investigation. The report also claims there was no forced entry into the home during the incident, though witnesses claimed officers used a battering ram to bust open Taylor’s door while carrying out a no-knock search warrant.
The report lists the charges as “death investigation – LMPD involved.” It lists the three officers who fired shots in Taylor’s apartment, Sgt. Jon Mattingly, Myles Cosgrove, and Brett Hankison.
The department released a statement acknowledging that the report was largely empty and filled with errors.
“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,” a department spokesperson stated.
Mayor Greg Fischer called the report “unacceptable.”
“It’s issues like this that erode public confidence in LMPD’s ability to do its job, and that’s why I’ve ordered an external top-to-bottom review of the department,” he said. “I am sorry for the additional pain to the Taylor family and our community.”
Taylor was shot eight times as officers carried out a no-knock warrant at midnight to search her apartment for drugs, which they never found. Officers claim they announced their presence when they broke into the apartment, but neighbors and Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, said they didn’t. Walker, thinking the apartment was being broken into, took his gun and fired a warning shot at the door. Officers responded by shooting into the apartment several times, hitting and killing Taylor.
The Louisville Courier-Journal filed a lawsuit to get the department to release the report and the complete investigative file. The newsroom’s editor, Richard A. Green, condemned the department for its shoddy report.
“I read this report and have to ask the mayor, the police chief, and the city’s lawyers: Are you kidding? This is what you consider being transparent to taxpayers and the public?” Green said. “At a time when so many are rightfully demanding to know more details about that tragic March evening, I fail to understand this lack of transparency. The public deserves more.”
The Louisville Courier-Journal is still waiting for the department to release the investigative file, but the department has claimed the investigation is still underway. Beyond the largely empty report, the department has only released the 911 call.
None of the officers involved have been charged. Attorneys for Taylor’s family have questioned why the officers did not have body cameras from the shooting, despite at least one of the officers being issued a camera and using it in previous arrests.
Taylor’s death, along with the deaths of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery, have triggered nationwide protests against racial injustice and police brutality.
