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Breonna Taylor: People call for cops' arrest as Louisville makes 'multi-million' dollar settlement with family

The payment is expected to be the largest amount the city has ever paid linked to a police misconduct lawsuit

Social media users on Tuesday, September 15, expressed their outrage minutes after the city of Louisville reached a "substantial" financial settlement with the family of Breonna Taylor, demanding the officers involved in Taylor's death be arrested. Taylor, a Black EMT, was shot dead by officers in her apartment after they entered the wrong house looking for a suspect.

Reports state that the settlement, which is slated to be announced later on September 15, is believed to be worth millions of dollars. The payment is expected to be the largest amount the city has ever paid linked to a police misconduct lawsuit. The settlement will also reportedly include a series of police reforms, according to Louisville Courier-Journal. The move comes amid an ongoing protest against police brutality across the country, where protesters are calling for arrest of Taylor's killers, justice for George Floyd and several other similar victims.

Several users took to Twitter to express their outrage over the lack of accountability of the police officers involved in Taylor's shooting. One user wrote: "If the city of Louisville has agreed to pay the family of Breonna Taylor for ambushing her in her sleep — then it shouldn’t be hard to find and arrest the guys who murdered her." While another said: "The city of Louisville settled #BreonnaTaylor’s wrongful death lawsuit! So the taxpayers have paid for her murder, but the cops haven’t? #ThisIsAmerica #TeamDl" A third added: "With a settlement, the citizens of the city are the ones punished. The money comes from them. The officers who actually shot and killed #BreonnaTaylor don’t pay a dime. How is that justice?"

Another wrote: "Let’s not just pay off Breonna Taylor’s family and forget to arrest the cops that killed her! #JusticeForBreonnaTaylor." A fifth wrote: "A settlement won't pay for justice nor will it bring Breonna Taylor back. The police officers should be indicted for murder. Period." One user expressed concern, stating what happened to Taylor could happen to others too: "I’m happy the family will get financial restitution, but that doesn’t protect the people of Louisville. What happened to #BreonnaTaylor CAN happen to them. I pray the reforms address that. The cops that killed her still need to be arrested, though. Nope, I didn’t forget."

Taylor, a 26-year-old EMT, was shot at least eight times while she was sleeping in her bed by police officials. The tragedy occurred during a botched police drug raid as the officers barged into her house unannounced after midnight. On March 13, Taylor died in her own home in the early hours after police raided the home she shared with her boyfriend Kenneth Walker in Louisville. Authorities have claimed that the midnight search was part of a drug investigation. However, a lawsuit filed by the family states no drug was found at the home. The family's lawyers have said that the main suspect, Jamarcus Glover, was already in police custody at the time of the raid. Neither Taylor nor Walker had any criminal records.

Taylor and Walker were sleeping in their bed when police raided their home. The couple thought the house was being broken into and Walker, who has a license to carry, fired his gun in self-defense thinking they were being robbed, the suit said. Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) Sgt Jonathan Mattingly and officers Brett Hankison and Myles Cosgrove entered their apartment shortly before 1 am without announcing themselves, and the shot fired by Walker struck Mattingley's leg. The officers, in retaliation, fired a hail of over 25 bullets, eight of which struck Taylor who died at the scene. Walker is now facing charges of first-degree assault and attempted murder of a police officer.