Breonna Taylor's boyfriend sues police department and claims he didn't shoot officers

Kenneth Walker is seeking damages for battery, false arrest and imprisonment, assault, malicious prosecution, abuse of process and negligence

Justin Vallejo
New York
Tuesday 01 September 2020 19:39 BST
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The boyfriend of Breonna Taylor has sued Louisville Police Department for police misconduct and immunity from prosecution, according to new reports.

The attorney for Kenneth Walker told the Louisville Courier-Journal that his client didn't fire the shot that wounded an officer during the night police broke into the apartment and killed Ms Taylor. Steve Romines said the evidence showed Mr Walker didn't fire the shot that almost severed the femoral artery of officer Jonathan Mattingly.

"We know police are firing wildly from various angles," Mr Romines the Journal. "The timeline and evidence at the scene is more indicative of (police) actually shooting Mattingly than it is Kenny Walker."

In the civil complaint filed in Jefferson County District Court on Tuesday, Mr Walker, 28, is seeking damages for battery, false arrest and imprisonment, assault, malicious prosecution, abuse of process and negligence.

In the complaint, Mr Romines says that the Louisville Metro Police Department interrogated Mr Walker under false pretences, before wrongfully and illegally having him arrested, detained, charged and prosecuted.

"Kenny continues to reel from the death of the love of his life, but he is also the victim and survivor of police misconduct -- misconduct that threatens his freedom to this day," the complaint said.

Ms Taylor was killed after police entered her apartment using a battering ram. After Mr Walker fired what he said was a "warning shot", police returned fire and Ms Taylor was killed in the process.

Mr Romines said police fired up to 45 bullets, while images of the round fired by Mr Walker didn't show any indication that it touched blood.

They are seeking immunity for Mr Walker as part of the state's "stand your ground" self-defence law, as he "did not in fact know, nor should he have known" that police broke down the door.

Three plainclothes police executed the no-knock search warrant on Ms Taylor's apartment while she and Mr Walker was asleep on 13 March.

While Mr Walker was charged with attempted murder of a police officer, the case was dismissed on 22 May.

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