On March 13, 2020, the 26-year-old Black EMT was killed in a shooting at her home. On that day, members of the Louisville Metro Police Department forcefully entered her home in an attempt to serve a search warrant. Taylor’s partner fired, believing the officers were involved in a home invasion. The police shot back, hitting Taylor nine times.
No officers were charged in her death.
Along with the killings of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery, Taylor’s death sparked protests across the country with many calling for police reform and seeking justice. They showed support for the Black Lives Matter movement following the three Black Americans’ deaths.
Beshear tweeted condolences to Taylor’s family and vowed to work hard to improving Taylor’s home state for all residents.
“Today we remember Breonna Taylor, her tragic and unnecessary loss and the immense work we have ahead of us. I will never understand the unimaginable grief of Tamika Palmer and other family and loved ones, but I am committed to listening and working with others to build a more equitable and fair commonwealth for every Kentuckian,” he wrote.
Newsweek reached out to Beshear’s office for further comment.
Many politicians remembered Taylor on Friday and Saturday and called for justice. On Friday, Missouri Congresswoman Cori Bush and Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth both tweeted memorials for her. Duckworth noted that she was re-introducing her Police Training and Independent Review Act to work towards “racial justice, police reform and preventing all tragedies like Breonna’s.”
On Saturday, Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock and Florida Congresswoman Frederica Wilson also tweeted remembrances.
“One year after she was killed, Breonna Taylor’s family is still waiting for justice and answers from the police who needlessly took her life,” Wilson wrote.
The hashtag #SayHerName—which became a slogan adopted by many protesters in calls for justice for Taylor amidst the summer 2020 demonstrations—was also used in many tweets, as “Black Lives Matter” trended along with Taylor’s name.
Besides politicians, many others also shared remembrances and further calls for justice for Taylor, including activists, organizations, and celebrities.
Bernice King, daughter of he late Martin Luther King, Jr., called on Beshear and Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron for “accountability for Breonna’s murder.”
Actor Samuel L. Jackson and Sacramento Kings forward Harrison Barnes both tweeted messages encouraging their followers to call their local senators to support the “George Floyd Justice in Policing Act which reduces police racial bias and violence against people of color.”
