New York, NY (Top40 Charts) 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. She said the investigation into the shooting has led to weeks of protests in the city and "created more questions than answers."
"These small steps in the right direction are painful reminds that there has still been no justice for Breonna Taylor or her family," the letter reads. "Three months have passed and the LMPD's investigations have created more questions than answers. […] Three months have passed - and zero arrests have been made, and no officers have been fired. […] Three months have passed - and Breonna Taylor's family still waits for justice."
She continues, "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." The letter explicitly calls on the Attorney General to bring criminal charges against the three officers who executed the warrant, asking them to "commit to transparency in the investigation and prosecution of these officers' criminal conduct. Beyoncé also demands that they investigate the Louisville Metro
Police Department's response to the incident and further dissect the "pervasive practices that result in the repeated death of unarmed
Black citizens."
Taylor, a 26-year-old emergency room technician, was in her apartment on March 13 when Louisville Metro police fatally shot her just before 1 a.m. while serving a no-knock search warrant during a drug investigation.
The plainclothes officers knocked and announced their presence before breaking down Taylor's door with a battering ram, according to court records.
Taylor's boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, was in the apartment and was startled, thinking they were intruders. He fired one shot, hitting Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly in the thigh. Mattingly and officers
Brett Hankison and Myles Cosgrove returned fire, hitting Taylor at least eight times, records show. She died in her hallway.
Other celebrities, including Matt Damon and Kanye West, have shown support for Breonna's family with petitions and fundraising on their platforms.
