Hundreds of people have gathered at the Kentucky Capitol to urge action in the investigation of three police officers in the fatal shooting of a black woman, Breonna Taylor, in Louisville.
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FRANKFORT, Ky. Hundreds of people gathered at the Kentucky Capitol Thursday to urge action in the investigation of three officers in the fatal police shooting of a black woman, Breonna Taylor, at her Louisville home.
Taylor’s family, hip hop artists, and civil rights lawyers addressed a large crowd on the steps of the capitol to commemorate 100 days since Taylor was killed.
The 26-year-old woman was shot eight times by officers who broke into her Louisville home on March 13, using a no-touch order during a narcotics investigation. The search warrant for her home was related to a suspect who did not live there, and no drugs were found inside.
On Thursday afternoon, Taylor’s mother thanked the crowd for their support of their daughter.
“Without you, I swear I don’t know where I would be right now, probably crying alone at home,” Palmer said. Know that she was full of love, full of life. Know that if I was one of you, she would be out there (protesting). “
Louisville police have fired one of three detectives who served the order at Taylor’s home. But protesters at protests across the country have called for all three to be criminally charged.
Taylor was killed “in the sanctity of her own home,” said civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, who represents Taylor’s family. “If you can’t be safe in your own home, where can you be safe?”
The rally was organized at the state capitol to draw attention to Daniel Cameron, the first black attorney general for Kentucky, whose office is reviewing the police investigation of the three officers. Many of the speakers urged Cameron to indict the officers, Myles Cosgrove, Brett Hankison, and Jonathan Mattingly.
Hankison was fired on Tuesday.
Last week, Beyoncé wrote an open letter to Cameron, urging him to move quickly. Cameron has called for patience while a large-scale probe is being carried out. The FBI is also investigating the shooting.
Other speakers on Thursday included rapper / actor Common and Jada Pinkett Smith, who told Palmer he wanted to “continue to illuminate Breonna’s name.”
“We wanted to come here, show our love and amplify your voice and amplify your daughter’s voice,” said Pinkett Smith.
Kenneth Walker, Taylor’s boyfriend, also appeared at the rally. Walker was originally charged with attempted murder after shooting one of the officers who entered the home. Walker has said he thought he was defending himself from an intruder.
The no-touch search warrant that allows police entry without announcing their presence was recently banned by the Louisville Metro Council.
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