21-Year-Old Leader Of Breonna Taylor Protests Killed In Louisville Shooting
Hamza "Travis" Nagdy, 21, a protest leader known for his optimism and energy in Louisville’s push for racial justice in the wake of the police shooting death of Breonna Taylor, was reportedly shot and killed early Monday (November 23) in Louisville, according to the Louisville Courier Journal.
Few details about Nagdy’s death have surfaced. Louisville Metro Police spokesman Matt Sanders said he was transported to University of Louisville Hospital, where he subsequently died from his wounds.
LMPD is investigating the incident and said no suspects have been identified.
Nagdy was a regular at Jefferson Square Park, a popular location where protesters gathered to demand justice for Breonna Taylor.
Antonio T-Made Taylor, an independent reporter and youth mentor in Louisville, said about Nagdy’s death: "Travis really believed he could help change systemic racism. He believed he could be a big part of that change.
"What I'm hoping is he will become a symbol of the violence that's going on, and people will finally give it the attention that we need to be giving to this record number of homicides in our city,” he added. “We're just hoping that he will become a symbol of what great lives we are going to lose if we don't wrap a movement around what's going on."
Taylor was killed March 13 when former officer Brett Hankison, Det. Myles Cosgrove and Sgt. John Mattingly executed a botched “no-knock” warrant at Taylor's apartment which she shared with her boyfriend Kenneth Walker. Believing they were intruders, Walker fired his weapon and gunfire from the officers ensued. The 26-year old Taylor was struck five times and died.
On Sept. 23, a grand jury returned three counts of “wanton endangerment” in the first degree against Hankinson for firing into another apartment. The other two officers, Mattingly and Cosgrove, were not charged and remain on the force. Hankinson was fired in July.
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