Breonna Taylor shooting incident report lists her injuries as 'none'
A four-page incident report from the night Breonna Taylor was fatally shot by police officers in Louisville, Kentucky, is almost completely blank.
Taylor, a 26-year-old black woman and ER tech with no criminal record, was shot and killed on March 13 inside her apartment. The Louisville Metro Police Department released the incident report on Wednesday, and the Courier Journal says it includes Taylor's name, the incident location, time and date, and a case number, but several details that are already known, including Taylor's date of birth, have been redacted.
The report lists Taylor's injuries as "none," and under "forced entry," the "no" box is checked off, despite police officers using a battering ram to gain access to Taylor's apartment, the Courier Journal reports. The "narrative" section used to describe an event only says "PIU investigation."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In the early morning of March 13, three plainclothes detectives entered Taylor's apartment on a "no-knock" search warrant as part of a narcotics investigation. The officers said they announced themselves, but Taylor's boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, and neighbors dispute their account. Walker said he and Taylor believed people were trying to break into their apartment, and he fired a warning shot that allegedly hit one officer, Sgt. Jon Mattingly, in the leg. In return, the officers began firing, and attorneys for Taylor's family say she was shot at least eight times, dying on the floor of her hallway. No drugs were found in the apartment, and no charges have been filed against the officers.
The Courier Journal is suing the Louisville Metro Police Department in an attempt to obtain the investigative file into the shooting; the department has refused, citing the ongoing probe. The newspaper's editor, Richard Green, said he read the incident report and "have to ask the mayor, the police chief, and the city's lawyers: Are you kidding? This is what you consider being transparent to taxpayers and the public? At a time when so many are rightfully demanding to know more details about that tragic March evening, I fail to understand this lack of transparency. The public deserves more."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Today's political cartoons - November 2, 2024
Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - anti-fascism, early voter turnout, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Geoff Capes obituary: shot-putter who became the World’s Strongest Man
In the Spotlight The 'mighty figure' was a two-time Commonwealth Champion and world-record holder
By The Week UK Published
-
Israel attacks Iran: a 'limited' retaliation
Talking Point Iran's humiliated leaders must decide how to respond to Netanyahu's measured strike
By The Week UK Published
-
Menendez brothers may go free in LA prosecutor plan
Speed Read Prosecutors are asking for the brothers to be resentenced for the 1989 murder of their parents
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Abercrombie ex-CEO charged with sex crimes
Speed Read Mike Jeffries ran the brand during its heyday from 1992 to 2014
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump criminal trial starts with rulings, reminder
Speed Read The first day of his historic trial over hush money payments was mostly focused on jury selection
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Parents of school shooter sentenced to 10-15 years
Speed Read Jennifer and James Crumbley are the first parents to be convicted in a US mass shooting
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Unlicensed dealers and black market guns
Speed Read 68,000 illegally trafficked guns were sold in a five year period, said ATF
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Bankman-Fried gets 25 years for fraud
Speed Read Former "crypto king" Sam Bankman-Fried will report to federal prison
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Feds raid Diddy homes in alleged sex trafficking case
Speed Read Homeland Security raided the properties of hip hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
'Goon Squad' cops sentenced for torturing 2 Black men
Speed Read The former Mississippi law enforcement officers pleaded guilty last year
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published