US: DOJ To Investigate Murder of Breonna Taylor in Louisville

Breonna Taylor, a young unarmed African-American woman, was killed more than a year ago by Louisville police officers when they raided her home in the middle of the night.

The Department of Justice announced that it opened an investigation against the Louisville Police Department, in Kentucky, for the death more than a year ago of young African-American Breonna Taylor, who was in her home when officers mistakenly shot her.

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Those inquiries will be the responsibility of U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland. The goal will be to determine whether Louisville police followed any "pattern" or "practice" that might be illegal, the White House said in a statement.

It is the second such investigation into a law enforcement agency by President Joe Biden's administration in a week.

Garland also announced an investigation into police tactics in Minneapolis following the death of George Floyd. 

The attorney general had said there is still no equal justice under the law and promised to take a critical look at racism and legal problems when he took office. Few such investigations were opened during the administration of former President Donald Trump.

The probe seeks to determine whether there was a pattern or practice of unconstitutional or illegal policing and will also initiate a broader review of the entire Louisville police department.    

In Taylor's case, the African-American woman was shot and killed on March 13, 2020, when three white police officers entered her apartment to conduct a search warrant allegedly looking for narcotics, which they failed to find.

The announcement came in the context of the legal trial over the killing of George Floyd, during which former officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of the murder of the unarmed African-American man in Minneapolis.