Louisville police chief announces he will resign as the FBI launches an investigation into the cop killing of black EMT worker Breonna Taylor during botched drug raid (14 Pics)

Louisville Metro Police Chief Steve Conrad announced Thursday that he is resigning from his role as top cop as the FBI begins investigating the details surrounding the tragic shooting of black EMT Breonna Taylor. He had been in the position for eight years.

Conrad's last day will be in June and Deputy Chief Robert Schroeder will serve as the interim chief while the LMPD searches for a replacement, Mayor Greg Fischer announced in a release, The Courier Journal reports. 

'It has been the highlight of my professional career to be Louisville's police chief,' Conrad, 63, said in a statement. 

'LMPD is full of amazing men and women who come to work each day to do their best for this community and has been a privilege to lead them.' 

Louisville Metro Police Chief Steve Conrad announced Thursday that he is resigning after eight years

Conrad's announcement comes as the FBI has revealed in a statement that it will investigate the details surrounding the March 13 killing of the 26-year-old during a botched aid at her home in Louisville, Kentucky.  

'The FBI will collect all available facts and evidence and will ensure that the investigation is conducted in a fair, thorough and impartial manner,' the Louisville FBI said in their statement. 

Conrad struggled during his time with the department. In 2016, the Fraternal Order of Police voted no-confidence in his leadership by 13-9. The vote happened in part because the Metro Council felt he failed to address the increase in homicide in the area.

Conrad's announcement comes as the FBI has revealed in a statement that it will investigate the details surrounding the March 13 killing of the 26-year-old during a botched aid at her home in Louisville, Kentucky

At the time, Fischer said that it was unfair to 'simplistically target one person for a complex problem' and noted that other areas also saw rises in homicide and other violent crimes. 

Conrad also survived a scandal where officers sexually assaulted teens in the department's Explorer Program, which Fischer disbanded. 

 A U.S. attorney report stated that there were 'violations of policy and mistakes in judgment, some significant,' by department leaders. Conrad was also found to have halted the investigation of one of the officers, allowing him to resign from the department. 

Conrad was the subject of two lawsuits that accused him of firing whistleblowers. One of the cases was settled for $450,000 while the other resulted in a $300,000 verdict.   

According to Metro Council President David James, D-6th District, there was a 'palpable tension' at City Hall as council members decided what best to do with Conrad following Taylor's (pictured) death)

According to  Metro Council President David James, D-6th District, there was a 'palpable tension' at City Hall as council members decided what best to do with Conrad.

James, a frequent critic of Conrad, said the killing of Taylor was the final straw.  

'It was really time for a change at the police department,' he said. 'I'm very happy for Chief Conrad to be able to retire after a long career. I think it's very, very beneficial for our city for him to make that decision.'  

The news of the resignation and update on the investigation comes just days after it was revealed that one of the officers involved in the botched raid had actually been accused of harassing a man in 2019. 

Officer Brett Hankison was accused of having a 'vendetta' against Kendrick Wilson and of being 'a dirty cop' in an October lawsuit; he denied all the claims.  

Wilson's ongoing federal lawsuit - unrelated to the shooting incident in March - accuses Hankison of targeting him and planting drugs, The Courier Journal reports. 

It says Hankison arrested Wilson three times over a two year period at bars where he worked as off duty security. The charges against Wilson stemming from these incidents were dropped on two of these occasions. One case is still pending.  

The suit says Hankison and Wilson were also involved in 'a relationship with the same woman'. It says the officer was 'unfairly targeting' Wilson.

Breonna Taylor, 26, died in the early hours of March 13 after law enforcement raided the home she shared with her boyfriend Kenneth Walker in Louisville, Kentucky

Officer Brett Hankison, pictured, has been accused of having a 'vendetta' against Kendrick Wilson and of being 'a dirty cop' in an October lawsuit; he denied all the claims

Taylor's family says that Louisville cops obtained the warrant used to raid her home based on false information that investigators gave to the judge. 

Attorneys for the family of 26-year-old Breonna filed a lawsuit against Louisville Metro Police Department alleging that a detective falsely claimed that a drug suspect was receiving postal packages at her house.

In the early morning hours of March 13, Louisville police executed a 'no-knock' raid on her home as part of an investigation centered on two men suspected of selling drugs in the Russell section of the city. 

Taylor's apartment in southwest Jefferson County was more than 10 miles away from the Russell neighborhood, according to the Louisville Courier Journal.

Police suspected Taylor's home was used to receive drugs, and a judge signed off on a 'no-knock' warrant allowing law enforcement officials to raid her home.

Just before 1am, Louisville police said they identified themselves before using a battering ram to enter Taylor's home, where she and her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, were in bed.

The search warrant used to justify the police raid which left Breonna Taylor, pictured, 26, dead on March 13 claimed that Taylor's home was used by a suspected drug dealer, Jamarcus Glover to receive suspicious packages. The family says this claim is false and is suing police

 The suit claims that LMPD Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly, left, and officers Brett Hankison and Myles Cosgrove, right, entered their apartment without announcing themselves

Taylor was in bed in her home that night with her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker. According to the family, Walker, who was licensed to carry a firearm, fired his gun thinking that the couple was being burglarized. He was arrested and charged with attempted murder of a police officer

Taylor's neighbors and her family dispute this. They said police never identified themselves, and that Walker, who was legally allowed to carry a firearm, shot at the cops thinking that he was being robbed.

Police responded with gunfire, killing Taylor, who suffered eight gunshot wounds.

Walker was arrested and charged with first-degree assault and attempted murder of a police officer after Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly was shot in the leg during the raid.

Mattingly, Officer Brett Hankison, and Officer Myles Cosgrove were the three detectives who raided Taylor's home.

Officers fired at least 20 rounds during the raid. The above image shows a bullet hole piercing what appears to be a piece of furniture in Taylor's home

A bullet hole is seen in a glass window at Taylor's apartment in southwest Jefferson County

All three officers are named as defendants in the lawsuit filed by Taylor's family. 

Taylor had no criminal record and worked for two local hospitals. The lawsuit alleges that police fired at least 20 rounds into the home.

The warrant which was approved by a judge the day before Taylor died was based on a detective's belief that one of the drug suspects in Russell, Jamarcus Glover, used Taylor's residence to receive mail, keep drugs, or stash money from the sale of drugs.

Glover was arrested in a separate raid that same night more than 10 miles away from Taylor's home.

A Louisville detective wrote in an affidavit that he saw Glover leave Taylor's apartment two months before the raid with a United States Postal Service package which he then transported to a 'known drug house,' according to the Courier Journal.

The search warrant used to justify the police raid which left Breonna Taylor, 26, dead on March 13 claimed that Taylor's home was used by a suspected drug dealer, Jamarcus Glover, pictured, to receive suspicious packages. The family says this claim is false and is suing police

The detective wrote that he verified the information 'through a US Postal Inspector.'

But the inspector, Tony Gooden, told WDRB-TV that he was never asked by the Louisville Metro Police about any suspicious packages being sent to Taylor's apartment.

Gooden said a different law enforcement agency asked his office in January to investigate whether any suspicious mail was going to Taylor's residence.

After looking into the request, Gooden said his office found there was nothing suspicious linked to Taylor's home.

'There's no packages of interest going there,' Gooden said.

Benjamin Crump, a Florida-based lawyer who specializes in high-profile cases involving police shootings of African Americans, said that Gooden's statement 'directly contradicts what the police stated in the affidavit to secure a no-knock warrant for her home.'

Crump is now part of a team of lawyers representing Taylor's family.

'Gooden further stated that 'no packages of interest were going there',' Crump said.

'We will continue to demand transparency from the Louisville police on behalf of Breonna's family.'

Taylor's death sparked outraged nationwide. Her family is suing Louisville and its police department for wrongful death

DailyMail.com has reached out to Crump and the LMPD for comment.

'No-knock' warrants are a controversial practice that allows law enforcement officials to raid a suspect's home without identifying themselves or notifying the suspect beforehand.

Supporters of the practice say that it prevents suspects from destroying evidence during the time that authorities use to identify themselves.

But opponents say that it poses various dangers.

Houston police stopped the practice of no-knock raids last year after two civilians were killed and four officers were shot during a drug raid that was launched based on faulty information.

No-knock raids have resulted in officers being shot because residents who are legally permitted to carry firearms believed they were being burglarized.

Several states, including Kentucky, have 'stand your ground' laws that allow the use of lethal force in case they fell victim to crimes such as assault, rape, and burglary