Judge puts end to shooting case against Breonna Taylor's boyfriend

Attorney Benjamin Crump, left, holds up the hand of Kenneth Walker during a rally on the steps of the Kentucky State Capitol in Frankfort, Ky., Thursday, June 25, 2020.
Attorney Benjamin Crump, left, holds up the hand of Kenneth Walker during a rally on the steps of the Kentucky State Capitol in Frankfort, Ky., Thursday, June 25, 2020. Copyright Timothy D. Easley/AP
By AP
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Taylor's death was one in a string that sparked demonstrations against racism and police brutality in 2020.

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A judge in Kentucky has signed an order permanently closing a criminal case against Kenneth Walker, Breonna Taylor's boyfriend, who shot a police officer during the deadly raid that saw Taylor killed.

Prosecutors had dismissed a charge of attempted murder of a police officer against Walker in May, about two months after Taylor's death. 

But prosecutors left open the opportunity to revisit the charge against Walker if new evidence surfaced.

Taylor was fatally shot by police who burst through her door with a narcotics warrant on March 13, 2020. 

She and Walker had settled in for the night when police arrived and knocked down the door. 

Walker said he thought an intruder was breaking in and he fired a single shot that struck an officer in the leg.

A motion from Walker's attorney asking for the permanent dismissal said Walker “acted in self-defence and that he did not know that police were on the other side of the door.”

Jefferson Circuit Judge Olu Stevens' order on Monday dismissed the 2020 indictment against Walker with prejudice, meaning it can't be reconsidered.

The officer who was shot, Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly, recovered from the leg wound and remains in the Louisville police department. 

Two other officers who fired shots at Taylor's apartment have been dismissed from the department.

Her death was one in a string that sparked demonstrations against racism and police brutality in 2020, with her name becoming part of the Black Lives Matter protest movement as people called for her death be fully investigated.

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