Breonna Taylor’s family reaches ‘substantial’ settlement including major police reforms

Attorney representing Breonna Taylor’s family confirms settle has been reached in wrongful death lawsuit

The family of Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old black woman and medical worker shot and killed in her home by police in March, has reportedly reached a “substantial” settlement with the city government of Louisville, Kentucky.

Sam Aguilar, an attorney representing the family in its wrongful death lawsuit, confirmed in a statement that a settlement had been made in the case.

“The city's response in this case has been delayed and it's been frustrating,” he told CNN. “But the fact that they've been willing to sit down and talk significant reform was a step in the right direction and hopefully a turning point.”

According to the Courier Journal, further details surrounding the settlement would likely be announced later on Tuesday afternoon.

Ms Taylor’s death prompted major protests during a moment of heightened racial tensions across the country, in part sparked by the numerous police-shootings of black people that have been witnessed in videos that drew national media attention throughout the summer.

The settlement reached on Tuesday would reportedly include police reforms involving how warrants are issued and approved in the city of Louisville. When Ms Taylor was killed, police were executing a “no-knock” search warrant, meaning they did not have to identify themselves before entering her apartment. 

The state's attorney general, Daniel Cameron, is investigating police actions in the 13 March shooting.

The lawsuit, filed in April by her mother, Tamika Palmer, alleged the police used flawed information when they obtained a "no-knock" warrant to enter the apartment. Ms Taylor was shot several times and police found no drugs at her home.

The suit accused three Louisville police officers of blindly firing into Ms Taylor's apartment the night of the March raid, striking Taylor several times. 

Her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, was in the apartment with her and fired a single shot that struck an officer in the leg. Mr Walker said he didn't hear police announce themselves and said he thought he was guarding against an intruder.

The largest settlement previously paid in a misconduct case was $8.5 million in 2012, to a man who spent nine years in prison for a crime he did not commit, according to news reports.

Additional reporting by Associated Press