Louisville police chief declares state of emergency ahead of expected Breonna Taylor announcement

The Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) has ordered a state of emergency ahead of an expected decision in the case surrounding the police shooting death of Breonna Taylor.

Two weeks ago, Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron (R) signaled that a grand jury had been empaneled to hear details surrounding the incident and that an announcement would be made when it had reached a decision, though he didn’t offer a concrete timeline.

According to an internal memo from Robert Schroeder, the city’s chief of police, the emergency declaration stops all days off and vacation requests for LMPD officers “until further notice” so “the appropriate level of staffing” can be ensured.

Breaking: Louisville police chief declares state of of emergency in anticipation of Breonna Taylor announcement pic.twitter.com/yu38XDNSXH

— Matt Finn (@MattFinnFNC) September 21, 2020

Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman, was shot and killed in her home on March 13 by a trio of plainclothes LMPD officers executing a no-knock warrant: Jonathan Mattingly, Brett Hankison and Myles Cosgrove. Taylor and her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, were asleep inside at the time.

Police were granted the warrant under the belief that Taylor’s ex-boyfriend Jamarcus Glover had been using her apartment as a place to keep drugs and money, but neither was found there. Glover is facing multiple drug charges.

Walker, who says he thought the officers were intruders, opened fire. The trio returned fire, hitting Taylor multiple times and killing her.

Taylor and George Floyd, a Black man who was killed by a white police officer in Minneapolis at the end of May, became two of the focal points this summer of nationwide protests against police brutality and a resurgent Black Lives Matter movement.

Protesters, lawmakers and celebrities have demanded that charges be brought against the three officers, but just over six months after Taylor was killed, none of them have been arrested or charged.

Hankison was fired from the force in June after it was determined he “blindly” fired 10 rounds into Taylor’s apartment. Mattingly and Cosgrove are still on the force and currently on administrative reassignment.

Last week, Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer (D) announced that the city had reached a $12 million settlement with Taylor’s family. The deal is the largest settlement the city has paid in a police misconduct case, shattering the previous top figure of $8.5 million.

“I’m here today, with the family of Breonna Taylor, to announce that Louisville Metro Government has settled a civil lawsuit with her estate,” Fischer said last Tuesday. “We must have transparency and accountability for the work that our officers do.”

The settlement also includes a series of police reforms, notably including how no-knock warrants are issued.

In addition to the LMPD-ordered state of emergency, some of the federal buildings in downtown Louisville have been shuttered, including the Gene Snyder United States Courthouse.

“The public may also see barriers being staged around downtown, which is another part of our preparations,” LMPD spokesman Lamont Washington told the Courier Journal. “It is important to note that the AG has said there is no timetable for the announcement.”