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City officials in Louisville, Kentucky have passed a measure called Breonna’s Law that bans the use of no-knock warrants.
It was named in honor of Breonna Taylor, who was killed at her boyfriend Kenneth Walker‘s home in Louisville, Kentucky, on March 13 during a botched drug raid, theGrio previously reported. The 26-year-old, who worked at two local hospitals, was shot eight times as police were serving a search warrant related to a narcotics investigation.
“All Breonna wanted to do was save lives,” Taylor’s mother, Tamika Palmer, told city council members before the vote, according to The Courier-Journal. “So it’s important this law passes, because with that, she’ll get to continue to do that, even in her death.”
READ MORE: Louisville detective who got no-knock search warrant for Breonna Taylor reassigned
After the 26-0 vote Thursday. District 1 Councilwoman Jessica Green said “This is probably the proudest moment I have had as a member of this council, she told Louisville ABC affiliate WHAS. “It’s a good day to be a Louisvillain. The entire world is watching us,” she added.
The police officers claimed that they were “immediately met by gunfire” upon entering the Walker’s home, according to local news outlet WDRB. Walker’s defense attorney, Rob Eggert, argued that the officers burst into the home without notifying the couple of their presence and fired off 22 rounds of bullets that sprayed into neighboring apartments.
“Had Breonna Taylor been killed by anyone except police, the person or persons responsible for her death would have been charged with a homicide,” Eggert said in a court document as reported by WDRB.
Walker, 27, was arrested at the scene and charged with attempted murder of a police officer after he allegedly shot Sgt. John Mattingly in the leg. The charges were ultimately dismissed and and the Louisville Metro Police union slammed a local judge’s decision to release him from jail.
Famed civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump is representing Taylor’s family in a lawsuit against the officers involved with the shooting. He views the historic Breonna’s Law as the first step in much need progress in Louisville.
“What we really have to have is transparency and accountability to equal trust,” Crump said. “I think there is a distrust after the killing of Breonna Taylor between law-enforcement and the black community. And we need responsible and progressive and proactive leadership to deal with that mistrust.”
In related news, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul (R) is now seeking to ban no-knock warrants nationwide, through a bill he proposed on Thursday.
“After talking with Breonna Taylor’s family, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s long past time to get rid of no-knock warrants,” Paul said. “This bill will effectively end no-knock raids in the United States.”
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