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Breonna Taylor raid cop blames BF for her death, says he put her in 'impossible situation' by firing at police

Speaking publicly for the first time about the case, Sergeant Jonathan Mattingly disputed boyfriend Kenneth Walker's assertion that he thought the cops were intruders
PUBLISHED OCT 22, 2020
(L) Jonathan Mattingly; Breonna Taylor and Kenneth Walker (LMPD, GoFundMe)
(L) Jonathan Mattingly; Breonna Taylor and Kenneth Walker (LMPD, GoFundMe)

A Louisville police officer, who was among the three to open fire at Breonna Taylor's apartment, has blamed her boyfriend Kenneth Walker for her death, saying he put her in an "impossible situation" when he fired at cops. Speaking publicly for the first time about the case, Sergeant Jonathan Mattingly, discussed the fatal raid in an interview with ABC News and the Louisville Courier-Journal.

Taylor, a 26-year-old EMT, was shot at least eight times during the raid by police officials on March 13. The tragedy occurred during a botched police drug raid as the officers barged into her house after midnight. Walker had fired his gun during the incident thinking intruders had entered the house, injuring an officer. Authorities have claimed that the midnight search was part of a drug investigation. Mattingly, a 20-year veteran of the force, was one of the two officers who directly shot at Taylor, and was the only officer wounded in the incident. 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. Louisville police officers previously said that they identified themselves before breaking down Taylor's door.

Mattingly and Walker on Wednesday, October 21, presented their sides of the story to the outlets as they both blamed each other for Taylor's demise. Mattingly, during his interview with the Courier-Journal, admitted the drug raid at Taylor's home had gone awry but said he did not believe the young EMT was killed "due to lack of judgment" or "incompetence" by police. He, instead, blamed Walked and Taylor's convicted drug dealer ex Jamarcus Glover, who was the target of the raid. 

Holding a picture of Breonna Taylor, the 26-year-old woman, was fatally shot by Louisville Metro Police Department as protesters march in downtown Brooklyn over the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis Police officer on June 05, 2020 in New York City. (Getty Images)

"I think there's a few people responsible," he told the Courier Journal. "I think [Walker] is. I think Jamarcus Glover is for using this girl in this way. I think he played on her emotions to get her to do what he wanted her to do." Glover, however, was not romantically involved with Taylor at the time of the raid and the officers ultimately did not find any drugs or money at her apartment. 

Mattingly also cast doubt on Walker's version of the events of the fateful night and said that his actions were not consistent with someone who believed a burglar had broken into their house. "With this narrow hallway, shooting from it, him diving out. … He put her in an impossible situation," Mattingly said, arguing that Walked would have told Taylor to "hide in a closet" if he really believed an intruder had entered their house.

Taylor's boyfriend, however, has insisted that he is "a million percent sure" police did not identify themselves the night they conducted a drug raid on her apartment. Walker first spoke out on the issue in a sit-down interview with 'CBS This Morning'. During the interview, he doubled down on his previous claims and stated that he and Taylor did not hear Louisville police identify themselves as they broke into their house at midnight on March 13.

"It was dead silent in the house," Walker said. "It was 12.00, 1.00 at night, or whatever time. So it was — it's always quiet. We live in a quiet place. So if somebody was on the other side of the door saying anything, we would hear them." He added that he and Taylor asked "several times" who was there when police began knocking, but there was no response. "There was no response. So the next thing I know the door is flying open," Walker said. "I'm a million percent sure that nobody identified themselves. That's why I grabbed the gun. Didn't have a clue. I mean, if it was the police at the door, and they just said, 'we're the police', me or Breonna didn't have a reason at all not to open the door to see what they wanted. That's why I never thought it was the police. Because why would the police be coming here?" he added.

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