Breonna Taylor was 'mutilated with bullet holes while in her underwear' says family attorney as protests in Louisville over her cop-shooting death continue
Breonna Taylor was 'mutilated with bullet holes while in her underwear,' the family attorney has said, as protests over the 26-year-old's killing in Kentucky continue.
Taylor, a trainee EMT, died after midnight on March 13 in Louisville when police fired into the apartment where she was sleeping.
Her relatives have filed a suit against the police, and on Friday Benjamin Crump, an attorney for the family, provided more details of her death.
He said that Taylor died while wearing just her underwear, and claimed that the police were shooting into the apartment from all angles - a move he described as 'reckless'.
Breonna Taylor, 26, died on March 13 when police fired at least 20 rounds into her apartment
'Police just unloaded 25 to 30 rounds,' he told Essence, in a Facebook Live session.
'I mean they're shooting from the front door, they're shooting from the window, they're shooting from the patio.
'They're so reckless, they shoot a bullet into the next door neighbor's apartment where their five-year-old daughter is asleep in her room.'
Crump is also among the attorneys representing the family of Ahmaud Arbery, a black man who was shot dead by two white men while jogging in Georgia in February. Arbery's killers have been charged with murder.
Benjamin Crump, an attorney for Taylor's relatives, spoke to Essence on Friday evening
The officers in Kentucky were investigating two people suspected of selling drugs, neither of whom was Taylor.
One of the men the police were searching for, Jamarcus Glover, did not live in her apartment complex and had already been detained by the time officers showed up, the family claim in their law suit.
Taylor had dated Glover two years ago, according to another family attorney, Sam Aguiar, and did not maintain an active friendship with him.
Bullet holes are seen riddling the interior of Breonna Taylor's apartment, in photos provided by one of the family's attorneys, Sam Aguilar. The legal team say at least 20 rounds were fired
Bullets hit the bathroom in the apartment after police, according to the attorneys, opened fire from all sides. Taylor died instantly in the shooting, which has angered the community
Louisville police insist that they knocked on the door and announced theirselves.
Multiple neighbors dispute that, according to the suit.
It later emerged that a judge had granted a 'no-knock warrant', allowing the police to enter without first requesting access, because they believed drugs could be concealed on the premises.
When police arrived, Taylor's boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, says he woke up and believed someone was trying to break into the apartment.
He fired a shot, hitting an officer in the leg.
Police then fired more than 20 rounds into the apartment.
Taylor was hit eight times and died at the scene.
Taylor's family filed suit against Louisville police on April 27. The officers have been reassigned
Walker was arrested and charged with attempted murder of a police officer.
Police found no drugs in the apartment, and both Taylor and Walker have no criminal history.
On May 14 Andy Beshear, governor of Kentucky, asked the state attorney general Daniel Cameron to 'carefully review the results of the initial investigation to ensure justice is done.'
The three officers involved in the shooting remain on administrative reassignment.
Her death has sparked two nights of protests in Louisville, with angry crowds gathering on Thursday and Friday evenings.
Friday night's unrest followed a smaller, but still raucous, protest on Thursday which left seven people with gunshot wounds, including one in critical condition.
Those shots were not fired by police, Louisville police said.
On Friday night police did not clash with protesters, but vandals trashed buildings, broke glass, set fires and looted restaurants in an eight-hour protest that started Friday afternoon and stretched into early Saturday morning.
Angry city officials blamed out-of-towners for the trail of vandalism across much of downtown Louisville.
'This is not a protest. It is violence,' said Mayor Greg Fischer, in a 1am video call with reporters.
'This violence and destruction is absolutely unacceptable,' he said.
'It besmirches any claim to honor Breonna Taylor's memory.
'No one stands up for justice and equality by smashing windows and burning property. This destruction will not be tolerated.'
Demonstrations in Louisville on Friday night as protesters demand action after Taylor's killing
People march past City Hall in Louisville during Friday's protest against the death of Taylor at the hands of Louisville police. The governor of Kentucky has launched an investigation
Louisville Metro police officers stand in the street during a protest in the city on Friday night
Kentucky state police face off with protesters in Louisville as demands for justice increase
Breonna Taylor was 'mutilated with bullet holes while in her underwear' says family attorney as protests in Louisville over her cop-shooting death continue
![Breonna Taylor was 'mutilated with bullet holes while in her underwear' says family attorney as protests in Louisville over her cop-shooting death continue]()
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May 31, 2020
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