The city of Louisville, Ky., announced a $12 million settlement Tuesday in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of Breonna Taylor. Louisville police shot and killed Taylor, a 26-year-old emergency medical technician, during a botched narcotics raid at her home in March 2020. Taylor's case has become a rallying cry in the ongoing national protests against police brutality, like other cases of Black people killed or severely injured by law enforcement this year, including George Floyd, Rayshard Brooks and Jacob Blake.
The settlement also includes a series of police reforms to be adopted by the Louisville Metro Police Department, including establishing a housing incentive program to encourage officers to live in low-income neighborhoods within the city. Other changes to police tactics include creating a clearer command structure when executing warrants at multiple locations.
In June, the Louisville Metro Council voted unanimously to ban no-knock warrants such as the one used during the raid on Taylor's home. The announcement of the settlement comes as Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron continues to conduct a criminal investigation into the March 13 shooting, additional information available here.