Breonna Taylor's Mother Meets With DOJ To Demand Federal Charges Against Officers
Tamika Palmer, Breonna Taylor’s mother, is still fighting for justice for her daughter.
According to CNN, two years and one day after the death of Breonna Taylor, on March 14 Palmer met with officials from the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division to bring federal charges against the officers.
Palmer said in a statement, "I'm here at the Department of Justice asking them to do the right thing. This is bigger than Breonna. If no one addresses this issue, they'll keep kicking in our doors and murdering us… For the nation, it's been two years and one day. For me, I'm trapped in March 13, 2020. I don't know how people think I should just move on."
A spokesperson for the Justice Department said in a statement, "Today, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke and attorneys in the Civil Rights Division met with the mother of Breonna Taylor, members of her family and her attorneys. As has been previously stated, this matter is currently under investigation, and we have no further comment."
Benjamin Crump, the attorney for Taylor's family, released a statement about the 45-minute meeting with Clarke, "They said, 'Be not dismayed.’ They're turning over every stone, looking at any civil rights charges on behalf of Breonna Taylor, because they would do the same for any citizen. Because Breonna Taylor deserves it."
On March 13, 2020, Taylor, a 26-year-old EMT worker, was at her apartment, which she shared with boyfriend Kenneth Walker. Just before 1:00 a.m. police rammed down her door using a no-knock warrant as their justification.
Walker, believing intruders were breaking in, grabbed his firearm, which he legally owned, and fired, wounding former officer Jonathan Mattingly. Hankison, Mattingly and former officer Myles Cosgrove returned fire, striking Taylor six times, killing her.
Taylor’s family maintains police never announced themselves, while officers say they did.
The raid was an attempt to arrest her ex-boyfriend, Jamarcus Glover, who was already in custody. No drugs were ever found on the premises.
No officers have been charged for Taylor’s death. Former Louisville Metro Police detective Brett Hankison was charged with three counts of first-degree wanton endangerment from firing 10 shots blindly that went into the apartment of Taylor's neighbor. Prosecutors argued that it endangered the lives of a man, his pregnant girlfriend and their 5-year-old son who were asleep. Hankison pleaded not guilty and was acquitted on March 3, 2022.
