Breonna Taylor (26) was murdered by Louisville, KY police officers on March 13, 2020, when three officers: Sgt. Jonathon Mattingly, officer Brett Hankison and officer Myles Cosgrove, of the Louisville Metro Police Department, executed a No Knock Search Warrant on her home after midnight.
According to the information listed on the search warrant, officers were searching for possible narcotics and cash, belonging to Jamarcus Glover (30) – that may have been stashed at Taylor’s apartment.
Taylor and Glover dated about four years ago but remained close friends. Additionally, the search warrant also stated that Glover was seen visiting the residence of Taylor twice in January 2020 – and exited with a postal type package, during one of those visits.
That particular search warrant is now the center of controversy, as it has been revealed by a WDRB investigation that officers fabricated information on the search warrant affidavit, that may have persuaded a judge to sign off on it.
On that search warrant it states that LMPD corroborated information with the Louisville Postal Inspector to confirm that a drug suspect (Jamarcus Glover) was receiving packages at Breonna Taylor’s residence. The Postal Inspector denies that claim and says that Louisville Metro Police never contacted his office with that request.
According to that WDRB investigation, Postal Inspector Tony Gooden says that a different law enforcement agency corresponded with his office in January, regarding potentially suspicious mail being sent to Taylor’s address. His office investigated – and determined that “No Packages of Interest Were Going There.”
In newly released information during a recent Louisville Metro Council meeting, it has been revealed that LMPD had been investigating Jamarcus Glover, for drug trafficking, over the past couple of years. On March 9, 2020, officers conducted a drug raid on a property associated with Glover but came up empty.
Apparently Glover began bragging about outsmarting the officers on social media and coincidentally, just four days later, five (5) No Knock Search Warrants were issued to addresses associated with him. Breonna Taylor’s apartment would happen to be one of those addresses.
According to ex-LMPD Chief, Steve Conrad, as of May 20th, only six No Knock Search Warrants had been issued in 2020. Five of those warrants were issued on one day – relating to addresses associated with Glover.
Despite not having any evidence linking Breonna Taylor to any criminal activity, the Postal Inspector concluding that packages containing drugs or contraband were not being sent to her home and Glover not being seen visiting her apartment in two months – LMPD officers proceeded to obtain a No Knock Search Warrant, based on fabricated information. They would execute that warrant on her apartment after midnight on March 13, 2020.
During the raid, Taylor and her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker (27), were awaken by sounds of their door crashing in, as officers used a battering ram to breach their apartment door. Walker (a Carrying Concealed Deadly Weapon Permit holder) believed the home was being burglarized and fired a shot at the suspected intruders.
Officer Mattingly was struck in the leg by the shot from Walker’s gun. This is where details remain murky – due to LMPD’s reluctance to reveal all of the information surrounding the events from that morning. At some point following Mattingly being shot – the three officers began firing 22 rounds of ammunition into the apartment.
Shots were fired into the apartment (from the outside) through the bedroom windows and rear patio door. So many shots were fired that they entered a neighboring apartment. Walker was miraculously unscathed but Taylor was struck eight (8) times by gunfire and died at the scene. No drugs or cash were found on the premises.
Walker was arrested and charged with “Attempted Murder of a Police Officer.” However, after spending just two weeks in jail, Walker’s attorney, Rob Eggert, argued in court that his client acted in self defense. After considering the arguments – Circuit Court Judge Olu Stevens disregarded the $250,000 full cash bond and released Walker on Home Incarceration, pending trial.
Subsequently, On May 22, 2020, Commonwealth Attorney, Tom Wine, asked the judge presiding over the case to dismiss the Attempted Murder of a Law Enforcement Officer charge against Walker. Charges were officially dismissed against Walker on May 26, 2020.
Before being arrested, Walker called Taylor’s mother -Tamika Palmer – and informed her that her daughter had been shot. Palmer frantically searched the local hospitals looking for her daughter. After hours of searching, an employee at University of Louisville hospital, informed her that there was no information in the system, that her daughter would be arriving there at all.
Now erratic, Palmer drove to Taylor’s apartment and discovered yellow crime scene tape and police still at the scene. This was approximately 3am. She stayed at the scene and police officers spoke with her occasionally but still hadn’t informed her on the whereabouts of her daughter. It wasn’t until 11am that an officer told her that Taylor’s body was still inside the apartment.
Taylor’s body was removed from the apartment around 1pm and LMPD still hadn’t given Palmer any information surrounding the death of her daughter. She would later watch a local news broadcast and learn that police officers murdered her child.
“I have not seen or spoken to LMPD, not one time since that night – to this day.” – Tamika Palmer
Palmer says, to this day – LMPD has never contacted her with any information concerning the death of Breonna Taylor. It has now been nearly three months, since that fatal March 13 morning.
Brad Harrison is a journalist/motivational speaker/entrepreneur and on-air personality. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications with cum laude honors from the University of Louisville. In October 2015, he started UrbanMaxx Magazine to provide positive role models for Urban residents that reside in at-risk-communities and lack positive leadership in their lives.
For booking or advertising – contact Brad Harrison at bradharrison@urbanmaxx.com