The settlement was announced at the office of Mayor Greg Fischer with Taylor’s family and their attorneys Ben Crump, Sam Aguiar and Lonita Baker all present. It does not admit any wrongdoing on the part of the city or the Louisville Metropolitan Police Department.
“What we were able to accomplish today is significant but it is a portion of a single layer,” said Baker.
“It’s important to note that a financial settlement was insignificant without police reform. It’s important for her family that they minimize the risk of what happened to Breonna Taylor happening to any other family in Louisville, Kentucky.”
The deal also came with the implementation of several police reforms as well called “Breonna’s Law,” including a requirement that search warrants be approved by police commanders before a judge sees them.
It also would give housing credits to Louisville Metro Police Department officers who agree to live within the city, and seeks authority for drug and alcohol testing of officers involved in shootings. Also, social workers would be dispatched with police officers in cases where assistance is needed with mental or emotional distress, and an early warning system to identify officers with red flags.
The news comes after the recent announcement that a grand jury could look at the Taylor case as early as this week. According to reports, Kentucky attorney general Daniel Cameron is expected to present the case in an undisclosed location. Once the grand jury makes a decision, Cameron will make a public announcement to share his office’s findings and the grand jury’s decision on possible indictments for the three officers who killed Taylor.
On March 13, Louisville police officers Brett Hankison, Myles Cosgrove, and Jonathan Mattingly executed a “no-knock” warrant at Taylor’s apartment, which she shared with her boyfriend Kenneth Walker. Believing it was intruders, Walker fired his weapon and gunfire from the officers ensued. One officer was wounded, but Taylor had been hit eight times, and died.
The police raid found no drugs at Taylor’s apartment and she was not the target of the investigation. Rather, it was her ex-boyfriend Jamarcus Glover who police were after, and he had been arrested earlier that same night.
The officers have not yet faced any criminal charges, though Hankison was fired for “blindly” firing 10 shots into Taylor’s apartment from outside, according to his termination letter.
Although he praised the settlement and the reforms that came with it, Crump said that the family is continuing to demand the immediate arrest of the officers involved.
“We still are demanding that Kentucky attorney general Daniel Cameron bring charges immediately against the police officers who killed Breonna Taylor,” he said. “Justice delayed is justice denied.”
This article originally appeared on BET.
