Judge permanently dismisses charges against Breonna Taylor's boyfriend Kenneth Walker

A Kentucky judge has ruled that charges against Breonna Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker would be permanently dropped. The charges included shooting a Louisville, Ky., police officer, reports The Hill. Walker cannot be recharged for the crimes following the ruling. On March 13, 2020, Walker reportedly shot Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly in the thigh when police charged into Taylor's apartment with a search warrant shortly before 1 a.m. Walker was arrested and charged with assault and attempted murder of a police officer, reports Louisville Courier-Journal. Walker has always maintained that he thought the three plain-clothes police officers were intruders. 

Walker shot once from his legally owned handgun. Mattingly along with detectives Brett Hankison and Myles Cosgrove fired 32 rounds in total which resulted in the death of Breonna Taylor. Attorney Steve Romines said Walker is glad that the case is finally closed. "We believe the city used Kenneth as a pawn to cover up the events that took place on March 13, 2020, and further used him to cover up the deep-seated failures within the Louisville Metro Police Department," Romines said in the statement. "…It does not go unnoticed that neither the city nor the LMPD has apologized for using Kenneth as a scapegoat for an improper raid gone bad."

Jefferson Commonwealth Attorney Tom Wine had requested a further investigation after charges against Walker were dismissed in May 2020. However, his office noted last week that “no new information relevant to the charges against [Walker] in this matter has been brought to the commonwealth’s attention.” "As such, the commonwealth moves the court to amend its prior dismissal of this matter without prejudice to a dismissal with prejudice," according to the filing signed by Wine and Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Ebert Haegele.

According to CBS News, cops burst into Taylor's apartment in search of illegal drugs and were looking for her ex-boyfriend on March 13, 2020. During the raid, the 26-year-old emergency medical technician was killed. She had no criminal record. Steve Romines, Walker's attorney, told the outlet, "After the worst year of [Walker's] life, prosecutors have finally acknowledged that he did nothing wrong and acted in self-defense. He looks forward to continuing the fight to hold the real wrongdoers accountable for the harm that they've caused. Both he, individually, and our community, as a whole, cannot begin the process of healing until that happens." Walker responded to recent events in an Instagram post, saying: I’m blessed for sure but there’s a lot more to be done we gonna get justice for Breonna Taylor.

In an interview with CBS This Morning on October 14 last year, Gayle King spoke to Walker about the harrowing incident that occurred earlier that year. Walker told Gayle that he is "a million percent sure" the police didn't introduce themselves before breaking down the door. "If it was the police at the door, and they just said they were the police, me or Breonna didn't have a reason not to open the door to see what they wanted," Walker said. "I don't think I've ever heard so many gunshots all at the same time. I've never been to war, but I assume that's what war probably sounds like."

Remembering Breonna, he said heartbreakingly, "To the world, she's just a hashtag, a picture, and all of that. But to me, it was much more. More than a girlfriend too. I think that's what I want the world to know the most. That was my best friend… The most important person pretty much to me on Earth. And they took her." He added, "You probably wouldn't even know about it. If I didn't live, you probably wouldn't even know about Breonna Taylor."