IN WHAT WAY?

Officer Investigating Breonna Taylor’s Police Shooting Death Praised ‘Passive’ Approach to Raid

Audio shows the Louisville PD investigator conducting a sympathetic interview with the raid’s leader.

The officer investigating the police shooting death of Breonna Taylor described the raid—which involved seven officers, a battering ram, and at least 16 gunshots—as “the most passive way in” to the property, according to audio obtained by NBC News. Taylor was fatally shot by police in Louisville during a late-night raid led by Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly back in March. The officer was interviewed by Sgt. Jason Vance nearly two weeks after Taylor’s death. NBC reports Vance conducted a sympathetic interview with Mattingly, and stated that the officer “rightfully” returned fire on Taylor’s boyfriend. In the interview, Mattingly insists officers knocked and announced themselves when they arrived after midnight—though Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, said the couple had dozed off and never heard anyone say “police” so he reached for his handgun. Mattingly confirmed his team rammed the door, returned fire at Walker, and then fired around 16 shots. Eight shots struck Taylor, her family’s lawyer said. Vance described the approach as “the most passive way in to serve the warrant.”