While people around the country call out Breonna Taylor‘s name, her mother is faced with the devastating loss of her daughter in the quiet moments.
In a remote interview on Friday’s Today, Tamika Palmer reflected on the loss of her 26-year-old daughter, who was fatally shot in the early hours of March 13 by police officers who had been granted a no-knock search warrant in connection with a drug investigation and forced entry into her home. The family’s attorney Lonita Baker denied that Taylor had been involved in any drug activity.
When asked “when does it hit home the gravity of what happened,” Palmer told Today‘s Sheinelle Jones, “It just never stops, but it’s those moments when it’s quiet—it becomes extremely loud in my head and I just never imagined life without her.”
Palmer also remembered the call she got from her daughter’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, around the time Taylor had been shot. “He called me and said that somebody kicked in the door and he thinks Breonna was shot and he was yelling for her and I was like, ‘Where is she?’ And he said he couldn’t see,” she told Jones.
According to NBC, citing a lawsuit filed by Palmer, Taylor and Walker—who was sleeping with her at the Kentucky apartment when officers arrived—suspected the home was being broken into. Walker fired his licensed gun and reportedly shot one officer in the leg. The officers fired back, shooting Taylor multiple times. Commonwealth’s Attorney Tom Wine asked the court to dismiss attempted murder and assault charges against Walker while investigations are underway.
Meanwhile, there has been dispute over whether the officers identified themselves and knocked on the door before forcing their way into the home.
As Taylor’s mother said on Today, “Kenny and the seven other neighbors that live there stated that nobody heard them announce themselves.”
“Kenny called the police,” Palmer pointed out to Jones. “If you tell me you’re the police, I’m not going to call the police.”
Taylor’s death has since captivated nationwide attention and protest. According to retiring Police Chief Steve Conrad, a sergeant and two detectives were placed on administrative leave amid an investigation into the shooting, per the Louisville Courier Journal. On Wednesday, Interim Police Chief Robert Schroeder confirmed he placed the detective who applied for the search warrant into Taylor’s home on administrative reassignment. On Thursday, “Breonna’s Law,” named in her honor, was unanimously voted to pass by the Louisville, Kentucky, Metro Council, banning the use of no-knock warrants.
“Now that everybody knows her name, it does bring comfort because we’re no longer fighting this alone,” Taylor’s sister, Juniyah Palmer, told Jones. “It’s everybody fighting for her.”
(E! and NBC are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)
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