Beyonce pens letter calling for justice for Breonna Taylor who was shot by police
Written by News on 15/06/2020
Beyonce has penned an open letter to Kentucky’s attorney general calling for justice for Breonna Taylor, a black woman shot dead by police officers who burst into her home.
The Grammy award-winner called for “swift and decisive action in charging the officers” and urged “don’t let this case fall into the pattern of no action after a terrible tragedy”.
Posting the letter on her website, the singer added: “Your office has both the power and the responsibility to bring justice to Breonna Taylor, and demonstrate the value of a black woman’s life.”
Ms Taylor, 26, who was studying to become a nurse, was shot eight times by officers from the Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) on 13 March.
The officers were conducting a narcotics investigation but no drugs were found at her home.
They were carrying out a “no-knock” warrant, but Ms Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, said he believed the officers were intruders.
Gunfire was exchanged between Mr Walker and the LMPD, and officers fired 20 shots into the apartment – several of which hit Ms Taylor.
She was unarmed and asleep when the officers entered her home.
Last week, the city of Louisville banned the use of the controversial “no-knock” warrants.
But Beyonce said the officers should be fired and charged over Ms Taylor’s death, and also called for an investigation into the LMPD’s response to the killing.
“With every death of a black person at the hands of the police, there are two real tragedies: the death itself, and the inaction and delays that follow it. This is your chance to end that pattern,” she said.
The singer also pointed to apparent discrepancies in the incident report and claims by the officers.
At the bottom of the letter, she linked to two petitions demanding the officers be fired.
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