Dec 13, 2022 - Politics & Policy

Breonna Taylor's boyfriend gets $2 million settlement over shooting

Erin Doherty

Kenneth Walker, boyfriend of Breonna Taylor, stands in front of a portrait of Taylor during a protest memorial for her in Jefferson Square Park on March 13, 2021 in Louisville, Kentucky. — Kenneth Walker stands in front of a portrait of Breonna Taylor during a memorial for her in Jefferson Square Park on March 13, 2021 in Louisville, Kentucky. Photo: Jon Cherry/Getty Images

The city of Louisville will pay $2 million to settle two lawsuits filed by the boyfriend of Breonna Taylor, his lawyers said Monday, AP reports.

Driving the news: "He will live with the effects of being put in harm’s way due to a falsified warrant, to being a victim of a hailstorm of gunfire and to suffering the unimaginable and horrific death of Breonna Taylor," one of Kenneth Walker's attorneys, Steve Romines, said in a statement.

Walker filed federal and state lawsuits, contending that officers violated his rights when they entered Taylor's apartment without warning and used excessive force.
A portion of the money that Walker won in the settlement will be used for a scholarship fund for law students interested in civil rights law, AP reports.

Catch up quick: Walker was with Taylor the night of March 13, 2020, when police officers entered Taylor's apartment to serve a no-knock warrant.

Walker, who believed that intruders were entering the home, fired one shot from a handgun, striking one officer. The police responded by opening fire and striking Taylor multiple times.

The big picture: The Justice Department earlier this year charged four Louisville Metro Police Department officers involved with drafting the "no-knock" search warrant that led to the shooting of Taylor.

In September, two of Taylor's neighbors sued a former LMPD police officer who previously pleaded guilty to federal charges, WHAS-TV reports.

Chelsey Napper and Cody Etherton in September filed a civil lawsuit against former police officer Kelly Goodlett. The neighbors filed a separate lawsuit in 2020 against some of the officers involved in the raid, per WHAS.

What to watch: Two former officers involved in the raid — Detective Joshua Jaynes and Kyle Meany — are set to go on trial in federal court next year, AP reports.

Go deeper... Ex-officer who shot into Breonna Taylor's apartment found not guilty

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Breonna Taylor's boyfriend gets $2 million settlement over shooting

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