Louisville mayor gets ‘no confidence’ vote over Breonna Taylor case

Louisville, Ky., Mayor Greg Fischer (D) received a bipartisan vote of no confidence from the city’s Metro Council on Thursday night over his handling of the Breonna Taylor case.

Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman, was shot and killed in her home by a trio of plainclothes Louisville police officers in March, an incident that has inspired months of protests nationwide.

“The Council believes that Mayor Greg Fischer failed to hold leadership of the Louisville Metro Police Department (‘LMPD’) properly accountable thereby contributing to the civil unrest,” the resolution, which passed in a 22-4 vote, states.

Included in the resolution is a laundry list of reforms and initiatives it asks that Fischer introduce to regain the trust of the Metro Council and the city.

In response to the vote, the mayor tweeted a video message Thursday.

“I see that, given the choice of two difficult paths, I’ve sometimes taken the wrong one,” he said. “I sometimes failed to recognize quickly enough where changes needed to be made. And tonight’s vote makes clear I have not fostered a productive relationship with all of council that is necessary to avoid silos and distractions. I apologize for this because what’s also clear is this: We have enormous challenges ahead and to move forward, we need to pull together.”

My statement regarding the Metro Council vote tonight. pic.twitter.com/sQvLFQW5NG

— Mayor Greg Fischer (@louisvillemayor) September 18, 2020

Earlier in the week, Fischer announced the city had reached a record $12 million settlement with Taylor’s family.

“I’m here today, with the family of Breonna Taylor, to announce that Louisville Metro Government has settled a civil lawsuit with her estate,” Fischer said Tuesday. “We must have transparency and accountability for the work that our officers do.”

On March 13, Louisville Police Department officers Jonathan Mattingly, Brett Hankison and Myles Cosgrove entered Taylor’s apartment executing a no-knock search warrant. Taylor and her boyfriend Kenneth Walker were asleep at the time.

Walker, who has said he thought the officers were intruders, opened fire. The trio returned fire, hitting Taylor numerous times and killing her.

Police were granted the no-knock warrant under the belief that Taylor’s ex-boyfriend, Jamarcus Glover, had been using her apartment as a place to keep drugs and money, but neither were found there. Glover is facing multiple drug charges.

Hankison was fired from the force in June after it was determined he “blindly” fired 10 rounds into Taylor’s apartment. Mattingly and Cosgrove are still on the force, both currently on administrative reassignment.

Despite a sustained national call for charges to be brought upon the trio, none have been filed. A final call on possible charges lies with Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron (R), who said last week that a grand jury had been empaneled to hear the case.