Breonna Taylor’s boyfriend recounts her shooting by police

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The boyfriend of Breonna Taylor said the hail of bullets coming at them from Louisville Metro Police officers the night Taylor was killed in her apartment sounded like a war.

Kenneth Walker said he tried to pull Taylor down to the floor amid the gunfire but "she was just scared; she didn’t get down."

"I don’t think I’ve ever heard so many gunshots like all at the same time," Walker told "CBS This Morning" in his first televised interview since the fatal shooting. "I’ve never been to war but I assume that’s what war probably sounds like."

Breonna Taylor's porch window shot out — A photo taken by Louisville Metro Police investigators after the early-morning March 13 raid on Breonna Taylor's apartment.

Walker said the loss of Taylor, an emergency medical worker, is especially hard because she "took care of a lot of people."

"There’s a lot of people who need her bad right now, including me," he said in the interview, which aired Wednesday.

Kenneth Walker and Breonna Taylor — Kenneth Walker, right, and Breonna Taylor

Watch the full interview below:

#EXCLUSIVE: Breonna Taylor's boyfriend Kenneth Walker talks to @GayleKing about the night police raided her home as part of a narcotics investigation into Breonna's ex-boyfriend. Neither Walker nor Taylor has a criminal history and no illegal drugs were found in the home. pic.twitter.com/4qvYpMjieG
— CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) October 14, 2020

Walker has said he and Taylor were in bed watching the movie "Freedom Writers" early on March 13 when police serving a narcotics warrant knocked down the door. Walker told investigators he heard loud knocking but didn’t hear police identify themselves, so he thought it was an intruder.

"I’m a million percent sure that nobody identified themselves," Walker said in the CBS interview. "That’s why I grabbed the gun. Didn’t have a clue" they were police, he said.

Walker fired a single shot toward the door, striking LMPD Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly in the leg. Mattingly and detectives Myles Cosgrove and Brett Hankison returned fired. Taylor was shot six times and died at the scene. Photos taken by Louisville Metro Police investigators show at least 34 shell casings in and around Taylor’s home.

AUDIO: 911 CALL | Someone 'kicked in the door and shot my girlfriend' Breonna Taylor's boyfriend shouts after LMPD raid

VIDEO: Body camera video shows frantic moments after fatal raid on Breonna Taylor's home

Exterior of Breonna Taylor's apartment — A photo taken by Louisville Metro Police investigators after the early-morning March 13 raid on Breonna Taylor's apartment.

Walker wasn’t hurt, but he was initially arrested for attempted murder of a police officer. The charge was dismissed without prejudice in May, meaning Walker could be charged again as more facts come out.

On Oct. 8, Jefferson Commonwealth's Attorney Tom Wine said he was reviewing LMPD's probe into the fatal police shooting but won't decide whether to file new charges against Walker until the U.S. Department of Justice and FBI wrap up their investigations into Taylor's death.

The FBI's work may not be complete until 2021, Louisville activist Christopher 2X said on Oct. 4.

Walker has sued state and city governments and 13 current or former LMPD officers, as well as former LMPD Chief Steve Conrad, whom Mayor Greg Fischer fired in June. The suit asks that Walker be immune from further prosecution in the case, as he is entitled to protection under Kentucky’s "stand your ground" law, as well as a jury trial and unspecified monetary damages.

On Sept. 23, a Jefferson County grand jury declined to charge any of the officers in Taylor’s death. Hankison was charged three felony counts of wanton endangerment for firing bullets that went through Taylor’s apartment and penetrated a neighbor’s home. Former LMPD interim Chief Robert Schroeder fired Hankison in June, saying Hankison violated the department's policies on using deadly force and following rules and regulations.

For more coverage of the Taylor case, click here.

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