First responder's lives matter.

Thanks to COVD45 and the incompetent administration whose job it is to protect the American people, we have now lost almost 86,000 Americans (as of 8:08 AM on 05/05/20). That's kind of a big deal. But we still have a president who is downplaying the seriousness of this virus, and who is doing more to protect his friends on Wall Street and making sure that the DOW does well, than prioritizing the lives of the American people.

Anyway, speaking of lives, I am posting about a black one that was lost because she was murdered by police officers. This case is  particularly tragic because the woman was a first responder.  

 "A woman was shot and killed in her Louisville, Kentucky, home by police executing a "botched" search warrant who forced their way in, surprising the woman and her boyfriend who thought the officers were burglars, her family says in a lawsuit.

The lawsuit — filed by the family of the woman, Breonna Taylor, an EMT worker — says she and her boyfriend thought they were being burglarized and he fired at the officers in self-defense. The lawsuit accuses the three officers of "blindly firing" more than 20 shots into the apartment.

After the March 13 incident, the Louisville Metro Police Department said the officers had knocked on the door several times and “announced their presence as police who were there with a search warrant.” After forcing their way in, they “were immediately met by gunfire,” Lt. Ted Eidem said at a news conference.

Taylor, 26, was shot eight times by police. Kenneth Walker, 27, was arrested and charged with assault and attempted murder on a police officer. An attorney for Walker could not immediately be reached.

Crump called Taylor's death a "senseless killing."

"We stand with the family of this young woman in demanding answers from the Louisville Police Department," he said in a statement Monday on Twitter.

The attorney called out the police department for not providing "any answers regarding the facts and circumstances of how this tragedy occurred."

"Breonna Taylor was sleeping while black in the sanctity of our own home," Crump said at a Wednesday press conference, adding, "we cannot continue to allow them to unnecessarily and justifiably kill our black women and escape any accountability."

"The defendants then proceeded to spray gunfire into the residence with a total disregard for the value of human life," the lawsuit alleges. "Shots were blindly fired by the officers all throughout Breonna's home."

The suit states that Walker had a license to carry and kept firearms in the home, and that Taylor was unarmed.

Taylor and Walker had no criminal history or drug convictions. No drugs were found in the apartment.

Her address was listed on the search warrant based on police's belief that a drug suspect had used her home to receive mail, keep drugs or stash money. The warrant also states that a car registered to Taylor was seen parked on several occasions in front of a "drug house" known to the suspect.

Taylor's mother, Tamika Palmer, filed the lawsuit in April in Jefferson Circuit Court alleging wrongful death, excessive force and gross negligence.

Crump said during an interview on MSNBC that Taylor was "completely innocent" and went on to say that "black women's lives matter too." The attorney also called for the charges against Walker to be immediately dropped.

A police spokesperson had no comment this week because the investigation was still ongoing.

The officers, identified as Jonathan Mattingly, Brett Hankison and Myles Cosgrove, were reassigned pending the outcome of the investigation.

Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said on Twitter Tuesday, "As always, my priority is that the truth comes out, and for justice to follow the path of truth."[Source] 

Wow! How do you botch a "no knock" warrant in such a manner? The address was at least ten miles off and the person they were looking for was already in custody. 

And now all the 2nd Amendment and NRA enthusiasts will come out in support of Mr. Walker and his right to protect himself within his own home with a legally owned and licensed forearm. 

That was a joke. They will not come out and support Mr. Walker. One of the dirty little secrets about the NRA is that they do not support the rights of people of color to legally own firearms like they do certain other folks. It's been crickets from them so far. 

Let's hope that justice will be served for this woman and her family. She was on the front lines of the fight against COVD45. She deserved more.