Breonna Taylor’s Boyfriend Is Finally Speaking Out

For the first time since his girlfriend was shot and killed by Louisville police officers, Breonna Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, is speaking publicly about what happened that night in March. In an interview with Gayle King on CBS This Morning, Walker shares the harrowing details of the event — including the moments up until Breonna was shot, after she was shot, and how he ultimately discovered she was killed. The interview comes at a time when advocates continue to protest the lack of charges against all three officers who shot at Taylor and Walker.

According to police, they entered Taylor’s apartment as part of a drug investigation related to Taylor’s ex-boyfriend, Jamarcus Glover. Neither Walker nor Taylor have criminal records, nor were any illegal drugs found in their home, and police say they identified themselves before entering. But Walker tells a very different account of the events. According to the interview, he and Taylor were watching a movie in bed when police banged loudly on their apartment door. Taylor and Walker both asked several times who was at the door, but the police never identified themselves. Despite the police report, Walker says he is “a million percent sure that nobody identified themselves.”

As the two were getting up to answer the door, Walker says he grabbed his gun, which he was licensed to carry and which he says that, up until that night, he had never used. Before they could open the door, Walker says the door is kicked open and he fired one shot, thinking someone was breaking into his apartment. After that, he says, “I’ve never heard so many gunshots… I’ve never been to war but I assume that’s what war probably sounds like.” In total, 32 shots were fired into the apartment by the three Louisville Police officers, Jonathan Mattingly, Brett Hankison, and Myles Cosgrove.

Walker says he was holding Taylor’s hand while the bullets rained into their apartment, and pulled her down to the ground. He heard her scream and that’s when he realised she’d been shot. He says she was bleeding and he held her and called his mum, still not knowing that it was police who had barged into the apartment and shot at them. He then recounts calling 911 for help — still unaware at this point that the men who shot Taylor were police officers. “I wouldn’t be calling the police on the police, that doesn’t even make sense.”

After that call, he realises that the police are there and he initially thought they were coming to help because he had just called 911. But that wasn't the case.

Body camera footage from that night shows that when Walker goes outside to talk to the police, who he assumes are there to help, he is met with guns and told to put his hands behind his head. He asks what is going on. “You’re going to fucking prison, that’s what’s going on,” one of the officers recorded on a bodycam responded. According to Walker, one of the officers asked if he had been hit by any bullets and when Walker said no, the officer said, “that’s unfortunate.”

Later that night he was informed that he would be charged with attempted murder of a police officer because of the shot he had fired after they’d kicked in his door. Walker was shocked to discover that he had shot at an officer, or that an officer broke into his home. And what's worse: No one ever told him that Taylor had died from her six gunshot wounds; he found out from the news while in his jail cell.

As if Breonna Taylor's killing and subsequent court case wasn't devastating enough, body camera footage now shows us exactly how officers and members of the SWAT team reacted that night. One of them can be heard saying, “She’s done,” which Walker calls “disrespectful.” Walker tells CBS This Morning that Taylor was “more than a girlfriend” to him, she was his “best friend” and “the most important person… on this earth, and they took her.”

"If I didn't live, you probably wouldn't even know about Breonna Taylor," Walker said. "I don't want everyone to know about Kenny Walker, as long as they know about Breonna Taylor. She would do anything for anybody. She took care of a lot of people, and a lot of people are hurting bad right now."

The attempted murder charges against Walker were dropped and he is suing Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, Louisville Metro government, Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer, 13 Louisville police officers, former Chief Steve Conrad and interim Chief Rob Schroeder.