Louisville city officials must turn over all secure police radio conversations before, during and after a March raid that led to the police shooting death of Breonna Taylor, a judge ruled Wednesday.
The lawyer for Taylor’s family had argued there has been “confusion” about which police officers took part in the raid and whether police bodycam footage of the operation exists, Louisville FOX affiliate WDRB-TV reported.
Scrutiny of the police radio conversations could help clarify details of the case, attorney Sam Aguiar told Jefferson Circuit Court Judge Judith McDonald-Burkman, the report said.
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Aguiar claimed in court filings that the names of some officers assigned to the raid have not been confirmed by city officials. He added that his office believes it knows the identities of those officers and some are known to use body cameras, WDRB reported.
Lawyers for the city countered that Aguiar’s request represented a “fishing expedition.”
The judge ultimately sided with Aguiar, agreeing that lawyers for the Taylor family are entitled to review recordings up to four hours before the raid took place March 13 until 3 p.m. the following day, when the scene of the raid was cleared.
The city agreed to hand over the recordings within the next week or so, WDRB reported.
The death of Taylor, a 26-year-old African-American woman, has drawn national attention amid the debate over police use of force against Blacks and other minorities.
Taylor was shot multiple times as police entered her home on a “no-knock” warrant. Her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, fired at police, allegedly hitting one officer in a leg.
Walker has claimed he fired his weapon because he thought the apartment was being robbed. The initial charge of attempted murder he faced was later dropped, WDRB reported.
Police have identified three officers as being involved in the raid: Sgt. Jon Mattingly, Detective Myles Cosgrove and Detective Brett Hankison. None of the three was wearing a body camera, police have said, according to WDRB.
Detective Brett Hankison was fired in June, Louisville police say.
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Hankison was fired June 23 for firing 10 rounds “wantonly and blindly” during the raid, Chief Robert Schroeder of the Louisville Metro Police Department wrote in a termination letter to the detective.
Taylor’s family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit.