Louisville agrees to $12 million payout to family of Breonna Taylor, killed in police raid

Louisville police killed Breonna Taylor, 26, while executing a “no-knock” search warrant at her apartment during a drug raid in March that uncovered no illegal substances and has become a driving symbol in the Black Lives Matter movement.

The settlement, which follows a wrongful-death lawsuit that Taylor’s family filed in May, requires police commanders to approve all search warrant applications that are submitted to a judge, said Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer (D) during a news conference Tuesday afternoon. Louisville police will also have to conduct extensive risk assessments before applying for a warrant, and when those warrants are issued, the city will require that an EMT or paramedic be on site.

The settlement will not affect the ongoing investigation by Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron (R) of whether the officers who raided Taylor’s apartment should face criminal charges stemming from her death. The Justice Department is also investigating the case.

Taylor was killed March 13, when plainclothes police officers carried out a “no-knock” search warrant at her home shortly after midnight as part of a drug investigation. Taylor was asleep at the time, according to the family lawsuit.

Her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, 27, who was also at the apartment, fired a shot with a gun he legally owned and later said he thought the officers were intruders. The officers shot back, and Taylor was struck five times.

P olice did not find drugs at the home. Louisville has since banned the use of no-knock warrants.

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