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Louisville Police Officer Shot By Boyfriend Of Breonna Taylor Sues Him For Emotional Distress

This article is more than 3 years old.
Updated Oct 30, 2020, 12:15pm EDT

Topline

Jonathan Mattingly, a Louisville Metro police officer involved in the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor, is countersuing Taylor's boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, alleging he experienced "severe trauma, mental anguish, and emotional distress" after being shot in the thigh by Walker the night Taylor was killed.

Key Facts

Mattingly's suit claims that Walker's conduct the night of the shooting was "outrageous, intolerable and offends all accepted standards of decency or morality." 

Police have said that Mattingly was struck in the femoral artery and required five hours of surgery.

Mattingly is seeking a jury trial, damages and attorney fees.

Walker's attorney said in a statement that Mattingly's suit is "the latest in a cycle of police aggression, deflection of responsibility and obstruction of the facts."

Mattingly's counterclaim is a response to Walker's lawsuit, which was filed in September, seeking unspecified monetary damages from the city and Louisville Metro Police Department for assault, battery, false arrest and imprisonment and malicious prosecution.

Critical Quote: 

"I am a legal gun owner, and I would never knowingly shoot a police officer," Walker said in September. "Breonna and I did not know who was banging at the door… The charges brought against me were meant to silence me and cover up Breonna's murder." 

Key Background:

Shortly after midnight on March 13, multiple Louisville officers executed a so-called no-knock search warrant on Taylor's apartment. Walker, who had a license to carry, said he feared for his life as he believed the apartment was being broken into. He called 911, grabbed his gun, and fired one "warning" shot, which purportedly struck Mattingly in his thigh. Walker's attorney has disputed this account, claiming evidence indicates his client didn't fire the round that hit the Mattingly, asserting that photographs of Walker's bullet didn't show any indication that it touched blood. The officers claim they knocked and identified themselves for nearly a minute before ramming the door. Yet multiple neighbors provided statements that the police did not knock or identify themselves. Walker was initially charged with the attempted murder of a police officer, though the charge was later dismissed. In an interview earlier in early October, Mattingly told The Courier Journal that Walker was partly responsible for Taylor's death. "With this narrow hallway, shooting from it, him diving out," Mattingly said. "He put her in an impossible situation." No officers have been charged in Taylor's death. Former Detective Brett Hankison faces criminal charges for shots he fired that struck a wall in a neighboring apartment. He has pleaded not guilty.

Further Reading:

Police Report Only Raises More Questions About Breonna Taylor's Death (Forbes) 

Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly files counterclaim against Breonna Taylor's boyfriend for assault (TCJ)

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