by Timothy E. Moorhead, Gonzo Today contributor
On March 13, 2020, a botched narcotics raid led by the Louisville Metro Police Department ended the life of Breonna Taylor.
Three plainclothes officers executing a “no-knock” warrant used a battering ram to burst into her home while she slept. The three officers claim they knocked first and declared themselves as police. Taylor’s boyfriend states he did not hear this and believing the officers were intruders he fired a “warning shot,” hitting one officer in the leg. The officers responded with a hail of bullets firing blindly into the apartment. Five hit Breonna Taylor.
The “no-knock” warrant was not for Breonna Taylor; the police sought one of her ex-boyfriends.
Starting in May I spent several weeks with my camera in the downtown area by Jefferson Square Park, home to a sustained presence of “Justice for Breonna Taylor” and Black Lives Matter supporters until the Louisville police razed their encampment after the tragic shooting of a local photographer. The police also cited safety concerns due to rumors that white supremacists planned a rally alongside Black Lives Matter and Breonna Taylor supporters, although the counter protesters never showed.
On September 23 the Kentucky Attorney General announced that a grand jury decided against charging any of the three officers in the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor and indicted only one of the three police officers involved for three counts of wanton endangerment to Breonna Taylor’s neighbors.
I hope the family, friends and supporters of Breonna Taylor find true peace, and it is in her honor that I share a few of the photos I have taken throughout the summer of 2020.
All photos copyrighted Timothy E. Moorhead 2020. Text written by Timothy E. Moorhead.
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