Louisville Police Sergeant Jonathan Mattingly has filed a lawsuit against Breonna Taylor's boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, alleging emotional distress, assault and battery. Mattingly was one of three officers who executed a search warrant at Breonna Taylor's apartment on March 13. As officers marched in, Walker says he did not hear the trio announce themselves as police officers. Unaware of who was entering his home, the 27-year-old grabbed his legally obtained firearm and fired off one shot to warn the potential intruders. Mattingly was hit one time on his lower torso. In response, officers fired multiple shots that killed Taylor.
"Walker's conduct in shooting Mattingly is outrageous, intolerable, and offends all accepted standards of decency and morality," the lawsuit states.
Immediately after the fatal shooting, Walker was arrested and charged with attempted murder. However, those charges were later dropped. Taylor's boyfriend then filed a lawsuit against the Louisville Police Department while seeking immunity under the state's "Stand Your Ground" law. In contrast, Mattingly was never criminally charged.
"Kenny Walker is protected by law under KRS 503.085 and is immune from both criminal prosecution and civil liability as he was acting in self defense in his own home," Walker's attorney, Steve Romines, said.
This news also comes shortly after Mattingly sat down with Good Morning America's Michael Strahan for an interview regarding the aftermath of Breonna Taylor's death. While speaking to Strahan, he said that he felt his team could have approached the search differently.
"What would I have done differently, the answer to that is simple now that I've been thinking about it," Mattingly told Strahan.
"Number one, we would have either served the no-knock warrant or we would have done the normal thing we do, which is five to 10 seconds. To not give people time to formulate a plan, not give people time to get their senses so they have an idea of what they're doing. Because if that had happened Breonna Taylor would be alive, 100 percent."
Walker has maintained that the officers did announce themselves as police at a volume that he could he hear. Furthermore, he has maintained that he fired his weapon downward in a manner that would avoid hurting anyone. The 27-year-old has not yet publicly commented on Mattingly's lawsuit.
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