*There’s good news, if you can call it that, from the Justice Dept. associated with the death of Breonna Taylor.
On Monday, Attorney General Merrick Garland that the Department of Justice will open an investigation into the practices of the Louisville, Ky., Police Department.
If you’ve been following the news, you’ll notice that today’s announcement comes days after the AG said the department will investigate the Minneapolis Police Department following Derek Chauvin’s conviction for the murder of George Floyd.
Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman, was killed by police in Louisville last year who entered her apartment with a no-knock warrant and fired 32 bullets. Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, fired a shot at officers who he has said he believed to be intruders.
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Garland said the Louisville investigation will seek to determine whether the department engages in unreasonable force, unconstitutional searches and seizures and unlawful executions of search warrants on private homes. It also will examine how the Louisville police tactics impact racial groups, he said.
A grand jury indicted one of the officers in the raid, Sgt. Brett Hankison, on wanton endangerment charges last year. His trial was delayed this month until 2022. Two other officers involved have not been criminally charged.
Taylor’s death is among the most high-profile police killings in recent years and has prompted calls to rein in the use of no-knock warrants and other controversial tactics.
Garland said that Justice Department will take into consideration the terms of a $12 million settlement reached between Louisville and Taylor’s family last year. The settlement requires the police department to undertake certain mandatory reforms.
