Justice Department launching probe into Louisville policing

Breonna Taylor (Courtesy of Taylor Family attorney Sam Aguiar via AP)

The Justice Department is opening a sweeping probe into policing in Louisville, Kentucky, following the death of Breonna Taylor, who was shot by officers during a raid at her home.

It is the second such sweeping probe into a law enforcement agency announced by the Biden administration in a week.

Ms Taylor, 26, who was an emergency medical technician and had been studying to become a nurse, was roused from sleep by police who came through the door using a battering ram in March 2020.

Attorney General Merrick Garland (Mandel Ngan/Pool/AP)

Her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, fired once. A no-knock warrant was approved as part of a narcotics investigation. No drugs were found at her home.

The new investigation is known as a “pattern or practice” — examining whether there is a pattern or practice of unconstitutional or unlawful policing — and will be a more sweeping review of the entire police department.

Attorney General Merrick Garland, who made Monday’s announcement, last week announced a probe into the tactics of the police in Minneapolis following the death of George Floyd.