Police cancel vacations; prepare for Breonna Taylor decision

Louisville, Kentucky, police are canceling vacations and requests for days off in preparation for an announcement by the state attorney general on whether he plans to charge police officers in the shooting death of Breonna Taylor

Via AP news wire
Monday 21 September 2020 22:29 BST
Racial Injustice Louisville
Racial Injustice Louisville

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Louisville, Kentucky, police said Monday that they had canceled vacations and were setting up barricades in preparation for the state attorney general's announcement about whether he will charge officers in Breonna Taylor's shooting death.

A statement from the department said all requests for vacation and days off were being canceled “until further notice” as the city awaits Attorney General Daniel Cameron's announcement. “It is important to note that (Cameron) has said there is no timetable for the announcement,” the statement added.

Cameron said earlier this month that “an investigation, if done properly, cannot follow a certain timeline."

“When the investigation concludes and a decision is made, we will provide an update about an announcement,” he said.

Taylor, an emergency medical worker, was shot eight times on March 13 by officers who entered her home using a no-knock warrant during a narcotics investigation. The warrant used was connected to a suspect who did not live there, and no drugs were found inside. The use of no-knock warrants has since been banned by Louisville’s Metro Council.

Large protests over Taylor’s death that at times became violent erupted in late May in the city but most demonstrations since then have been peaceful, including a massive march outside the Kentucky Derby earlier this month. Celebrities, athletes, activists and Taylor’s family have for months pushed Cameron to criminally charge the officers involved in the raid.

Last week, the city of Louisville settled a lawsuit from Taylor’s family for $12 million and pledged several police reforms as part of the agreement.

Police said in the statement that they are erecting some barricades in the downtown area. Many of the protests have been at a downtown park and city hall.

Federal officials have closed the federal courthouse and other federal buildings for the week.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in