Kenneth Walker Files Federal Lawsuit Against LMPD Amid One-Year Anniversary of Breonna Taylor’s Death
On March 12, 2020, one day before the one-year anniversary of Breonna Taylor‘s death, her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker III, filed a federal lawsuit against the LMPD (Louisville Metro Police Department), and the officers involved in the fatal shooting.
While partnering with multiple law firms, Walker’s suit accusing the LMPD of violating his constitutional rights. The suit — directly naming Louisville and Jefferson County Metro government and officers Brett Hankison, Myles Cosgrove and Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly — claims the department’s actions in the raid violated his Fourth Amendment rights, which prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures. It also accuses the LMPD of “tacitly approving excessive use of force” in failing to “adequately train its officers in using reasonable (and not excessive) force.”
Georgetown University Law Center professor Cliff Sloan, who’s representing Walker in the suit, says, “This is a very important lawsuit to vindicate Kenneth Walker’s constitutional rights under the U.S. Constitution. We are seeking to ensure that there is justice and accountability for the tragic and unjustified police assault on Kenneth Walker and killing of Breonna Taylor.”
The complaint further read that “although Mr. Walker had committed no crime, officers on the scene took him into custody. Defendant Hankison told Mr. Walker that he was ‘going to jail for the rest of [his] life.'” Subsequently, the raid led Walker to suffer “mental anguish, emotional distress, trauma, humiliation, embarrassment, and reputational harm.” Walker is seeking compensatory and punitive damages.
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