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Breonna Taylor's boyfriend Kenneth Walker III settles 'unlawful raid' lawsuit with Louisville for $2M

'While this tragedy will haunt Kenny for the rest of his life, he is pleased that this chapter of his life is completed,' Kenneth Walker's legal team said

BY SIMRAN AGARWAL

PUBLISHED DEC 14, 2022

Breonna Taylor's boyfriend Kenneth Walker III has reached a settlement with Louisville for $2M (GoFundMe)

LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY: Breonna Taylor's boyfriend Kenneth Walker III has resolved the lawsuit he brought in response to "the unlawful police raid that led to Taylor's death," with the city of Louisville for $2M, according to a news release from Walker's legal team.

Louisville Metro Police Department officers shot and killed Taylor, 26, on March 13, 2020, while conducting a search warrant as part of a narcotics investigation in the early hours. Officers broke through her apartment door shortly before 1am. Police claimed that they made their presence known before entering. Later, Walker claimed that he and Taylor shouted to see who was at the door but received no response. Walker grabbed a gun he lawfully owned and fired a shot as police kicked through the door because he thought they were intruders, as per CNN.

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People visit a makeshift memorial for Breonna Taylor on September 24, 2020 in Louisville, Kentucky. A Kentucky grand jury indicted one police officer involved in the shooting of Breonna Taylor with three counts of wanton endangerment. No officers were indicted on charges in connection to Taylor's death. — People visit a makeshift memorial for Breonna Taylor on September 24, 2020 in Louisville, Kentucky. A Kentucky grand jury indicted one police officer involved in the shooting of Breonna Taylor with three counts of wanton endangerment. No officers were indicted on charges in connection to Taylor's death (Getty Images)

Walker was charged with the attempted murder of a police officer and first-degree assault after allegedly shooting Louisville Metro Police Sgt Jonathan Mattingly in the leg, but prosecutors ultimately opted to drop the charges.

In March 2021, Walker filed a federal civil rights case after initially filing a claim in state court in September 2020. The Louisville Metro Government and a few specific officers involved in obtaining a "materially false" search warrant and Taylor's fatal shooting were identified as defendants in both lawsuits. The news release stated that the settlement ends both lawsuits.

"While this tragedy will haunt Kenny for the rest of his life, he is pleased that this chapter of his life is completed. He will live with the effects of being put in harm's way due to a falsified warrant, to being a victim of a hailstorm of gunfire and to suffering the unimaginable and horrific death of Breonna Taylor," Walker's legal counsel, Steve Romines, stated in the press release, as per KSL.

The statement makes no mention of whether the defendants' acknowledgment of wrongdoing was part of the agreement. The city settled a wrongful death lawsuit with Taylor's family for a record $12M just six months after she died. Greg Fischer, the mayor at the time, stated that there was no admission of guilt in the agreement.