Those protesting across the world for justice in the police shooting of Breonna Taylor have truly made their voices heard in the four months since she was killed in her home during a no-knock search warrant. Now, the release of new audio tapes from the internal investigation provide conflicting reports from Taylor's boyfriend and the officer who he shot as Louisville PD broke down their door, adding even more confusion to the whole ordeal.
CNN reports that the new tapes feature interviews with Kenneth Walker, Breonna's boyfriend who was present on the night of the shooting, and Sgt. Jon Mattingly, the first officer to enter the apartment and be injured by the gunshot that sparked the police gunfire which killed Taylor. The main conflict is whether or not the police properly identified themselves before breaking down the door, which Walker claims didn't happen and as a result made him fire in self defense of what he thought was a burglary. Mattingly says otherwise, claiming he and his officers knocked multiple times with no response.
Here's how CNN breaks down Sgt. Jon Mattingly's recollection of the night Breonna Taylor was shot and killed:
The tapes also include an interview with Mattingly, conducted on March 25, nine days after his release from the hospital. Mattingly was interviewed with an attorney present.In the interview, Mattingly maintains that officers identified themselves repeatedly before breaking down Taylor's door.Though the narcotics warrant that police say they were serving at Taylor's door was a so-called no-knock warrant, Mattingly told investigators the officers were instructed to knock on the door.Recounting the pre-operational briefing for the warrant at the recommendation of his attorney, Mattingly said, "I verbally heard, 'We have it signed as a no-knock, but we're not going to go that route.'"Neither Mattingly nor Walker deny that the police officers banged on the door. Mattingly, however, told investigators that police repeatedly knocked on the door and announced their presence."I probably banged on the door six or seven different time periods," Mattingly was recorded telling investigators. "Seems like an eternity when you're up at a doorway. It probably lasted between 45 seconds and a minute," he said."We banged on it, no response," Mattingly said. "Banged on it again, no response. At that point we started announcing ourselves: 'Police! Please come to the door! Police! We have a search warrant!'"
Walker agrees that the multiple knocks did happen, however neither he nor Taylor heard a response after repeatedly asking "Who is it?" As they approached the door, he says it came "off the hinges" leading him to shoot in defense. Sadly, only he would live to recount their side of the story.
We'll continue to keep you all updated as we demand justice for Breonna Taylor along with the rest of the Black Lives Matter movement.