On Monday Attorney General Merrick Garland announced that a second investigation will be made into the Louisville Justice Department. On March 13, 2020, a tragic case of police brutality took another innocent black woman’s life. Breonna Taylor was a 26-year-old medical worker and aspiring nurse. Thirteen months ago she was shot in her sleep by plainclothes officers.
The trial for the former police officer involved in the shooting of Breonna Taylor has been postponed to February 2022, based on a pre-trial court hearing that occurred on Friday in Jefferson County, Kentucky. Judge Ann Bailey Smith moved back the date from its original scheduling on August 31, 2021. Courts across the country are backlogged with trials due to cased postponed during the pandemic. In 2020 Brett Hankison was indicted. The former officer received three counts of first-degree wanton endangerment. He allegedly shot through a residential door and window. The bullets went through a nearby apartment. A child, pregnant woman, and man were living and present.
At the time of this article, the two other officers have not been charged or indicted with Breonna Taylor’s murder. The Justice Department’s headquarters announced that the investigation will determine whether the Louisville Metro Police Department used excessive force. The trial “will determine whether LMPD engages in unconstitutional stops, searches, and seizures, as well as whether the department unlawfully executes search warrants on private homes,” Garland said in a press conference.
He continued by stating that the investigation “will also assess whether LMPD engages in discriminatory conduct on the basis of race, or fails to perform public services that comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The investigation will include a comprehensive review of the Louisville police department policies and training. If there’s reasonable cause to believe there is a pattern or practice of constitutional or statutory violations” a public report of the Justice Department’s conclusions will be put out.
The Mayor of Louisville Greg Fischer made it clear in Monday’s news conference that he is welcoming of the investigation in an attempt to legitimize an advanced level of the police community.
