LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Below is a detailed timeline outlining the key events that followed the tragic death of Breonna Taylor, a Black woman who was shot by police in her home in Louisville, Kentucky:
— March 13, 2020: On this day, law enforcement officers executing a narcotics search warrant fatally shot Taylor within her residence.
— March 13, later that day: Shortly after the incident, police report the arrest of Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, in connection with the injuring of an officer due to gunfire exchange during the event; Taylor is not identified in the press conference but referred to as “an unresponsive woman who was later pronounced dead.”
— March-April 2020: The case does not receive much media attention as the COVID-19 pandemic begins to spread throughout the United States.
— April 27, 2020: Taylor’s family initiates a wrongful death lawsuit against the police department and city, disputing the official police narrative surrounding the events.
— May 22, 2020: Prosecutors announce the decision to dismiss attempted murder charges against Walker, who had fired upon officers during the encounter in his girlfriend’s residence.
— May 28, 2020: Three days following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Walker’s distraught 911 call is made public, igniting substantial protests in Louisville.
— May 29, 2020: In the wake of growing unrest, Mayor Greg Fischer suspends the usage of no-knock warrants by the Louisville Police Department.
— June 1, 2020: Fischer terminates Police Chief Steve Conrad’s employment, a decision influenced by the police’s failure to activate body cameras during a shooting involving David McAtee amid protests in Louisville.
— June 11, 2020: The Louisville Metro Council unanimously enacts “Breonna’s Law” which prohibits no-knock warrants.
— June 23, 2020: Officer Brett Hankison, one of the three officers who discharged their weapons the night of Taylor’s shooting, is fired for recklessly firing into Taylor’s apartment.
— September 15, 2020: The city reveals a civil settlement worth $12 million for Taylor’s family while also committing to police reforms.
— September 23, 2020: A grand jury in Kentucky indicts Hankison for firing into nearby apartments but stops short of bringing charges against the other officers regarding Taylor’s death.
— April 26, 2021: Attorney General Merrick Garland announces that a Justice Department investigation will be launched to examine policing practices in Louisville following Taylor’s death.
— March 3, 2022: Brett Hankison, the former police detective, is acquitted of state-level charges related to endangering neighbors when he fired into Taylor’s apartment during the botched drug raid.
— December 12, 2022: Kenneth Walker reaches settlements in two lawsuits against the city of Louisville, with the city agreeing to pay him $2 million.
— March 8, 2023: The U.S. Justice Department announces that Louisville police are found to have engaged in practices that violate constitutional rights and show discrimination against the Black community, following an investigation triggered by Taylor’s case.
— November 16, 2023: Jurors are unable to agree on a federal civil rights case against Hankison, leading the judge to declare a mistrial.
— December 13, 2023: Federal prosecutors convey to the court their intention to retry Hankison on the charges.
— August 23, 2024: A federal judge dismisses felony charges against two former Louisville officers, Joshua Jaynes and Kyle Meany, alleged to have fabricated the warrant that ultimately led police to Taylor’s residence before her shooting.
— October 1, 2024: New federal charges are filed against Jaynes and Meany.
— November 2, 2024: A federal jury finds Hankison guilty of using excessive force during the botched drug raid that resulted in Taylor’s death. This represents the first conviction of a Louisville police officer involved in the fatal raid.
— December 12, 2024: The U.S. Justice Department and the city of Louisville agree on a plan to reform the local police department following an investigation initiated by Taylor’s death.
