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‘Are You Kidding?’ Louisville Police Report On Breonna Taylor's Killing Is Mostly Blank
The Louisville Metro Police incident report states that Breonna Taylor had no injuries — even though she was shot eight times.
An incident report regarding the night that Breonna Taylor was shot to death by plainclothes police officers has been released — and it’s mostly blank, according to the newspaper that obtained the report.
Taylor, 26, and her boyfriend Kenneth Walker were sleeping in her Louisville, Kentucky apartment when three plainclothes Louisville Metro police officers allegedly burst into her home using a battering ram in the middle of the night on March 13. Taylor— an EMT who was working at two different hospitals to assist in the COVID-19 pandemic — was shot at least eight times by officers serving a no-knock warrant.
A four-page report about the shooting was obtained by Louisville’s Courier-Journal. They reported on Wednesday that it lists Taylor’s injuries as “none.” Under charges, the report lists "death investigation — LMPD [Louisville Metro Police Department] involved" but checks off a "no" box under "forced entry.” The report then lists the three officers who entered her apartment as offenders: Sgt. Jon Mattingly, 47; Myles Cosgrove, 42; and Brett Hankison, 44.
The "narrative" portion of the report stated only two words: "PIU investigation,” which stands for precinct investigation unit.
The rest of the report is mostly blank, the Courier-Journal reported.
"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?" Richard A. Green, editor of The Courier Journal, stated Wednesday. "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 Metro police department has not immediately responded to Oxygen.com’s request for comment regarding the report.
Officers have previously claimed that they announced their presence before entering Taylor’s home, but Walker and some neighbors have argued that they did not. When the police officers burst into the room, Walker has said he thought the officers were intruders and he fired a warning shot that struck Mattingly in the leg.
Walker was facing criminal charges of first-degree assault and attempted murder of a police officer but the charges have since been dropped.
The three officers have not been charged but they have been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation.
Taylor’s death and the charges that Walker faced have been part of massive nationwide protests against racism and police brutality. Beginning in late May, hundreds took to downtown Louisville to demand justice for Taylor, WAVE in Louisville reported at the time. Calls for the arrest of the three involved officers have since gone global.
In mid-May, before the national protests broke out, Taylor's family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the police department. Meanwhile, two women came forward last week and accused Hankison, one of the officers involved, of sexually assaulting them.
