Death of Breonna Taylor

The charges of assault and attempted murder of a police officer against Kenneth Walker, Breonna Taylor's boyfriend, were permanently dropped on Monday. On March 13, three policemen entered Taylor's apartment on a search warrant and Walker fired a shot, injuring one police officer's leg thinking they were intruders.

"After the worst year of [Walker's] life, prosecutors have finally acknowledged that he did nothing wrong and acted in self-defence," so Walker's lawyer Steve Romines. "He looks forward to continuing the fight to hold the real wrongdoers accountable for the harm that they've caused. Both he, individually, and our community, as a whole, cannot begin the process of healing until that happens."

The city of Detroit has filed a lawsuit against the Black Lives Matter movement. The lawsuit alleges that demonstrators were part of "civil conspiracy to disturb the peace, engage in disorderly conduct, incite riots, destroy public property," and resist police orders, among other "illegal acts."

Protests resumed in Louisville after none of the three police officers involved in the operation would be directly accused of Breonna Taylor's death in March.

In protests that followed the judicial decision, two police officers were shot in Louisville. Their injuries are not life-threatening, according to acting police chief Robert Schroeder. One suspect has been arrested.

A United States grand jury has moved forward and indicted one of the police officers, Officer Brett Hankison, involved in the death of Breonna Taylor.

Hankison has been charged with three counts of wanton endangerment in the 1st degree. The other two officers have not been charged.

Following an internal memo released on Monday, the Louisville Metro Police Department is currently under a state of emergency. All departments are operating on emergency staffing and reporting, off-days are cancelled as well as unapproved vacation requests.

The decision as been made "in anticipation" of an announcement in the Breonna Taylor case.

The city of Louisville has settled the wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of Breonna Taylor, the black woman who was shot by white police officers in her home on March 13, 2020. The family will receive a $12 million settlement and city officials have agreed on instituting reforms "aimed at preventing future deaths by police officers, according to three people familiar with the details," the New York Times reports.

During Tuesday's Breonna Taylor protests in Louisville, at least 68 people were arrested. According to Robert Schroeder, interim chief for the Louisville Metro Police Department, the protests were mostly peaceful but a group of protestors "crossed several intersections, creating dangerous situations as traffic continued to try to make its way in the area." Those who didn't follow the police orders to stay on the sidewalks were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and obstructing the roadway.

According to a press release by Amnesty International, US law enforcement committed at least 125 incidents of police violence against "protestors, medics, journalists and legal observers in 40 states and D.C." during the Black Lives Matter protests in May and June.

The NGO further stated that US law enforcement "repeatedly used physical force, chemical irritants such as tear gas and pepper spray, and kinetic impact projectiles as a first resort tactic against peaceful protestors rather than as a response to any sort of actual threat or violence." Amnesty recorded 89 cases of use of tear gas, six incidents of the use of batons, 13 instances of the use of rubber bullets and 31 cases of unlawful pepper spray.

One man was killed and another person was injured during a peaceful protest in Louisville, Kentucky on Saturday night. Protestors had gathered at Jefferson Square Park to demand justice for Breonna Taylor when a man fired over a dozen shots at the protestors. The park was cleared and closed by police so homicide detectives can conduct their investigation to identify the people involved with the shooting.

In a statement on Facebook, Louisville mayor Greg Fischer wrote he was "deeply saddened by the violence that erupted in Jefferson Square Park tonight, where those who have been voicing their concerns have been gathered."

Louisville Metro Police Officer Brett Hankison, one of the three officers involved in the shooting death of Breonna Taylor, will be fired, Mayor Greg Fischer announced at a press conference Friday morning.

On Thursday, the Metro Council of Louisville, Kentucky has unanimously passed Breonna's Law, banning "no-knock" search warrants. The law is named after Louisville 26-year-old resident Breonna Taylor who was shot in her home by police officers on March 13. Officers will be required the also turn on body cameras before entering and searching an apartment.

District 1 Councilwoman Jessica Green told WHAS: "This is probably the proudest moment I have had as a member of this council. So, it's a good day to be a Louisvillain. The entire world is watching us."