Police operation in the USA
Breonna Taylor Case – Police Officer Involved Acquitted
A woman holds a balloon in memory of the deceased during a protest against racism. Photo: Darron Cummings/AP/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
26-year-old unarmed African-American woman Breonna Taylor was shot dead by police in her own home. A jury has now ruled on an ex-official involved in the operation.
About two years after the death of the African American Breonna Taylor in a police operation in her apartment, an ex-official has been acquitted.
The former police officer was accused of endangering people in a neighboring apartment of the apartment building with several shots during the operation in Louisville, Kentucky. A jury found the man not guilty, US media reported unanimously. The ex-policeman argued in the process that he wanted to protect his colleagues. The public prosecutor accused him of having acted carelessly.
Breonna Taylor was shot dead by police in her own home in March 2020. Like George Floyd, the name of the 26-year-old black paramedic became a symbol of the movement against racism and police violence. The fact that no charges were brought against any of the police officers involved in the operation in connection with the death of the 26-year-old caused outrage and protests. The now acquitted man was the only police officer who had to answer in court – but precisely because of the alleged endangerment of other residents and not because of Taylor’s death.
According to the investigation, officers armed with a search warrant broke into Taylor’s home at night when they received no answer to her knock. Inside the apartment, Taylor’s friend is said to have shot first, injuring one of the officers in the leg. The friend later stated that he thought the police officers were burglars. Officers returned fire, hitting the unarmed Breonna Taylor at least five times, officials said. According to media reports, they were looking for Taylor’s ex-boyfriend, who was not present.