Taylor, who would have been 27 years old this month, was shot eight times as she slept after police executed a no-knock search warrant on her Louisville home on March 13, during a police raid. Officers exchanged fire with Taylor’s partner who thought the raid was a home invasion.
An investigation into the incident is ongoing but none of the three officers involved, Jon Mattingly, Myles Cosgrove, and Brett Hankison, all placed on administrative leave, have been arrested over the death.
Her case along with the killing of George Floyd, inflamed debate in the U.S. about police brutality and race, currently fueling protests across the country.
As of Tuesday morning, more than 7.2 million people had signed a Change.org petition calling for charges to be filed “immediately” against the officers involved, for her family to be paid damages, and for Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD).
“An in-house investigation is unacceptable,” said the petition, which noted how Taylor had worked at two hospitals during the coronavirus pandemic. The call for justice has also been taken up by the singer Beyoncé, who penned a letter to Cameron which she shared on her website.
“Don’t let this case fall into the pattern of no action after a terrible tragedy,” Beyoncé wrote.
On Tuesday, many took to Twitter, tagging Cameron, in a direct appeal to the state’s attorney general, asking five other people to follow suit, with the message: “I request justice for Breonna Taylor and I am tagging five friends who I hope will do the same.”
Among those tweeting the appeal were, Joel Leon, who shared it with his 50,000 followers, Frederick Joseph, who sent the message to his 88,000 followers, and Felonious Munk to his 51,000 followers.
Newsweek has contacted Cameron’s office for comment. On Sunday, it said, according to the BBC, that it was aware of Beyoncé’s letter but would not comment further on the case.
On May 29, Cameron tweeted a statement which said his attorney general’s office would await the report by the police department’s probe and that a task force, which included the FBI, was conducting an “independent investigation.”
“At the conclusion of this investigation, the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division will determine if the officers’ actions violated federal law. Our office will work to determine if any state laws were violated. We will continue to work with our federal colleagues in an effort to find the truth,” his statement said.
