Who is Breonna Taylor and why is her case related to George Floyd?
Breonna Taylor would have been 27-years-old on 5 June had she not been killed by the police, and in Louisville protestors have broken curfew for three nights in a row.
On Friday 5 June, 2020 Breonna Taylor would have turned 27-years-old, but some people are asking who she is and why people are protesting her death at the same time as George Floyd? Let's go back to 13 March 2020 when Breonna Taylor, along with her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, were in bed sleeping when they heard a loud banging at the door.
Breonna Taylor and George Floyd link
Minutes later, the 26-year-old emergency medical technician was lying dead on her hallway floor and had at least eight gunshots to her body. The police of Southwest Jefferson County broke down the door to her apartment in an attempted drug sting and shot her.
Now, with the death of George Floyd by excessive force of a police officer from Minneapolis, there has been another reminder of the death of Taylor and people in Louisville have been protesting, wanting justice for another life that was lost due to police brutality against black people and minorities.
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- George Floyd GoFundMe page raises nearly $5 million
- How a suspected counterfeit $20 bill led to protests across the US
- When did #BlackLivesMatter start?
Friends and family describe Taylor as a person full of life and a best friend to so many. That is why she is not forgotten and protestors want justice for her death as well. Her family filed a wrongful death lawsuit two months after her killing, claiming charges of battery, excessive force, negligence and gross negligence.
On 21 May, the FBI’s Louisville office announced that they were opening an investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death. However, since that announcement, little has been done in resolving Taylor’s case. The three officers involved in her shooting are still on administrative leave and have not been charged with any crimes.