Louisville Sums $12 Million To Breonna Taylor's Family!

Settlement for Breonna Taylor's family and Kenneth Walker.

BLACK LIVES MATTER

No amount of money will bring back Breonna Taylor.

It's been six months since the March 2020 shooting where three former Louisville Metro cops opened fire on a registered EMT and her boyfriend after they did a no-knock warrant in an attempt to conduct a drug raid.

Greg Fischer, the mayor of Louisville-Jefferson County has formally apologized to the family and the city settled with the family one of the largest payouts to a victim of police violence.

The family of Breonna Taylor will receive $12 million. They will pressure Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron to pursue charges against the three officers and their supervisor.

Cameron, an African American Republican and rising star among the ranks of coonary is slow-walking and facing heat from protesters to do something about it.

The U.S. Justice Department and FBI are working in unison with Kentucky State Police in determining charges against the cops.

As part of the settlement, the city agreed to establish a housing credit program as an incentive for officers to live in the areas they serve; use social workers to provide support on certain police runs; and require commanders to review and approve search warrants before seeking judicial approval, among other changes.

"Justice for Breonna means that we will continue to save lives in her honor," said Tamika Palmer, Taylor's mother. "No amount of money accomplishes that, but the police reform measures that we were able to get passed as a part of this settlement mean so much more to my family, our community, and to Breonna's legacy."

Tamika Palmer with Ben Crump address the media. Palmer said that justice isn't done until they criminal charged and convicted.

A spokeswoman for the mayor's office confirmed the $12 million settlement is the highest-ever paid by the city. Family attorney Benjamin Crump called the payout "historic" and said he believed it is one of the largest amounts ever paid out for a Black woman killed by police in the US.

Mayor Fischer said the city is not admitting wrongdoing in the agreement.

"I cannot begin to imagine Ms. Palmer's pain," Fischer said. "And I am deeply, deeply sorry for Breonna's death."

The settlement comes more than six months after Louisville Metro Police officers broke down the door to Taylor's apartment and fatally shot her while executing a late-night, "no-knock" warrant in a narcotics investigation.

The fatal police shooting has led to months of protests in Louisville and across the country under the overarching Black Lives Matter movement against anti-Black racism and police violence. Since her death, the police chief was fired in June after a separate police shooting, and the Louisville City Council passed "Breonna's Law," which banned no-knock search warrants.

Still, none of the officers involved in the flawed raid has been charged with a crime.

On Tuesday, Crump, attorney Lonita Baker and Palmer continued to push for criminal charges against the officers involved.

"It's time to move forward with the criminal charges, because she deserves that and much more," Palmer said. "Her beautiful spirit and personality is working through all of us on the ground, so please continue to say her name: Breonna Taylor."

Taylor's boyfriend, Kenneth Walker who said he believed the home was being broken into, shot and injured an officer, and police killed Taylor in the return fire. There is no body camera footage of the incident, police said.

Until Freedom, a social justice organization that has protested in Louisville, released a statement reacting to the settlement.

The three cops are still not charged yet.

"No amount of money will bring back Breonna Taylor," the group said. "We see this settlement as the bare minimum you can do for a grieving mother. The city isn't doing her any favors. True justice is not served with cash settlements. We need those involved in her murder to be arrested and charged. We need accountability. We need justice."

The Louisville Metro Police Department declined to comment. The police union did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

One officer, Brett Hankison, was fired in late June for "wantonly and blindly" firing 10 rounds into her apartment, then-interim Louisville Police Chief Robert Schroeder wrote.

An attorney for Hankison and Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly, who also fired his weapon during the incident, declined to comment on the settlement. CNN has reached out to an attorney representing Officer Myles Cosgrove, the third officer involved in the shooting.

A grand jury has been empaneled to investigate the shooting, though an announcement has not been made about those proceedings.

Cameron is expected to announce a charging decision soon. He has declined to provide a specific timeline.

"My office is continually asked about a timeline regarding the investigation into the death of Ms. Breonna Taylor. An investigation, if done properly, cannot follow a specific timeline," Cameron tweeted last week.

Black people are getting fed up with this.

We protest.

We call for justice.

We call for peace.

We call for change in the way police handle situations.

We say we all want to go home.

We register to vote.

And nothing ever changes. It's getting to a point where now, if more Black men and women are killed by police, there's going to be someone who harbors hatred towards law enforcement plotting to assassinate police officers at their weakest points.

Justice for Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and everyone who was a victim of police violence.

It touches the nation's politicians, entertainers, athletes, social media activists and families of the victims. We see these incidents over and over again. Never in my life, have I seen this much brutality from police towards people of color.

Trump, himself had told cops to rough up people.

Okay, you far-right agitators are starting to piss us off. You have the audacity to sit here a post images of Black men with firearms and knives in order to justify the reasons of police to shoot and kill. Just last week, you have two fucking white terrorists shoot protesters in Kenosha, Wisconsin and Portland, Oregon.

The police practically allowed the Kenosha shooter walk away after he shot and killed two people.

BE WARNED THE VIDEO AND IMAGES ARE GRAPHIC.

Still, we see another incident where the police kill a man and someone films it. It hits social media and goes viral. They tell us to not rush to judgement. You're only getting one side of the story. But when the world see the unprecedented killing of a citizen supposedly being detained by police, you're not going to believe the bullshit a cop's gonna tell you.

Trust me, I don't believe the cop's version.

We're going to send a message this election year.

African Americans are going to send a message to the police.... Our message is pure and simple!

STOP KILLING US! STOP USING THE "I FEAR FOR MY LIFE" AS AN EXCUSE!

Everytime a person of color is shot and killed by the police, the far-right wants to look up the criminal history of the suspect.

WE ARE GETTING TIRED OF THIS NARRATIVE! NO MORE EXCUSES! IF YOU CAN DETAIN ARMED WHITE SUSPECT, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO DETAIN A BLACK MAN WITHOUT USING DEADLY FORCE!

WE ARE GETTING TIRED OF THE JUNK FOOD MEDIA ALWAYS SHOWING THE MUGSHOTS OF A PERSON OF COLOR BEING SHOT BY THE COPS! WHY CAN'T THEY USE PICTURES OF THE VICTIM BEING A HUMAN BEING AND NOT A CRIMINAL. THEY SHOWED POSITIVE PICTURES OF THAT WHITE TERRORIST WHO KILLED TWO PROTESTERS IN WISCONSIN. THEY HAVEN'T SHOWN HIS MUGSHOT YET. 

IF YOU FEAR FOR YOUR LIFE, YOU SHOULD NOT BE A MEMBER OF LAW ENFORCEMENT!

FOR EVERY BAD COP, THERE WILL BE A DEAD COP!

I DON'T BELIEVE EVERYTHING ON THE INTERNET OR THE COP'S VERSION.

GUN VIOLENCE IS THE NUMBER ONE THREAT IN THE UNITED STATES.

THERE IS NO GOD!

GOD IS NOT FIXING THIS!

We haven't forgotten about the many mass shootings in the United States. COVID-19 doesn't stop individuals from picking up firearms and killing others.