Louisville Sergeant Jonathan Mattingly, one of three officers involved in the killing of Breonna Taylor, has now filed a lawsuit against Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker. Mattingly claims that he has suffered “severe trauma and emotional distress” after being shot in the leg by Walker while executing the search warrant on March 13th.
Walker says that he was under the impression that the officers were intruders, and is protected by Kentucky’s Stand Your Ground law according to his legal council. Walker was initially charged with attempted murder (which was later dropped), while no officers were charged with shooting Taylor. Walker then sued the Louisville Police Department while seeking and gaining immunity under KRS 503.085, which protects him from “both criminal prosecution and civil liability as he was acting in self defense in his own home,” says Steve Romines, who is Walker’s attorney.
While Mattingly’s attorney claims that Walker’s actions were “outrageous” and “intolerable,” Walker claims that the lawsuit is just an “attempt to further victimize and harass Kenny.”
In the case of Breonna Taylor, grand jury was held earlier this month, which resulted in one officer being indicted for “wanton endangerment,” but as stated, no one was charged for Taylor’s death. Two jurors have come forward since then, claiming that Attorney General Daniel Cameron did not present them with the full range of potential charges before their decision was final. Cameron has admitted that he did not present the grand jury with murder charges, saying that it was “not appropriate.”
The cases of Kenneth Walker and Breonna Taylor have been ongoing battles for several months as both families seek justice for their loved ones.