Charges against Breonna Taylor's boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, permanently dismissed


The charges filed against Kenneth Walker related to last year's fatal police shooting of Breonna Taylor were permanently dismissed on Monday.
Taylor, an unarmed Black woman, was killed last March in her Louisville, Kentucky, apartment during a police raid. Walker said he believed the police officers were intruders, and fired his gun; when officers fired back, Taylor was shot several times. A bullet from Walker's weapon hit one of the officers in the leg, wounding him, and Walker was charged with assault and attempted murder of a police officer.
In May, the charges were dropped against Walker without prejudice, meaning if new details about the shooting surfaced, they could be refiled. On Monday, Jefferson County Circuit Court Judge Olu Stevens dismissed the charges with prejudice, making it permanent.
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.
Last fall, Walker filed a lawsuit asking the court declare him immune from criminal prosecution, due to Kentucky's stand your ground law, WLKY reports. "I was raised by a good family," Walker said. "I am a legal gun owner and I would never knowingly shoot a police officer."
One of the Louisville Metro police officers involved in the shooting, Brett Hankison, was indicted by a grand jury on wanton endangerment charges, after it was found he shot several rounds into a neighboring apartment. Two others have been fired from the department.
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.
-
Not just a number: how aging rates vary by country
The explainer Inequality is a key factor
-
'There will be a market incentive to build wind and solar anyway'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Geoff Dyer's 6 favorite books about the realities of war
Feature The award-winning author recommends works by Ernie Pyle, Michael Herr, and more
-
Trump administration releases MLK files
Speed Read Newly released documents on the 1968 assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. did not hold any new revelations, King historians said
-
Japan's prime minister feels pressure after election losses
Speed Read Shigeru Ishiba has vowed to remain in office
-
President diagnosed with 'chronic venous insufficiency'
Speed Read The vein disorder has given Trump swollen ankles and visible bruising on his hands
-
'Bawdy' Trump letter supercharges Epstein scandal
Speed Read The Wall Street Journal published details of Trump's alleged birthday letter to Epstein
-
Fed chair Powell in Trump's firing line
Speed Read The president considers removing Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell
-
Trump trashes supporters over Epstein files
speed read The president lashed out on social media following criticism of his administration's Jeffrey Epstein investigation
-
Judge nixes wiping medical debt from credit checks
Speed Read Medical debt can now be included in credit reports
-
Grijalva wins Democratic special primary for Arizona
Speed Read She will go up against Republican nominee Daniel Butierez to fill the US House seat her father held until his death earlier this year