What happened to Breonna Taylor and how did it lead to #SayHerName online movement? Internet reacts as four officers charged over her death

Breonna Taylor was fatally shot on March 13, 2020. (Image via Instagram/taylorinitiative)

On Thursday, August 4, US prosecutors charged four Louisville and Kentucky police officers in the March 2020 'no-knock' raid killing of Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old emergency room technician. The four Louisville Metro Police Department officers, Joshua Jaynes, Kyle Meany, Kelly Goodlett, and Brett Hankison, were charged with civil rights offenses, unlawful conspiracies, unconstitutional use of force, and obstruction.

Only one officer involved in the raid, Brett Hankison, had previously been charged in Taylor's death. However, the two other officers involved were not immediately charged. It has now been confirmed that four officers were involved in the failed raid on Breonna Taylor's home, which resulted in her death. US Attorney Merrick Garland said in a report:

"Breonna Taylor should be alive today... The Justice Department is committed to defending and protecting the civil rights of every person in this country. That was this department’s founding purpose, and it remains our urgent mission."

Taylor's death reignited the 2014 #SayHerName campaign, which brought to light black women's potentially lethal encounters with law enforcement and anti-Black violence.

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Exploring the 'no-knock' raid Louisville police conducted in Breonna Taylor's home

On March 13, 2020, Louisville police were investigating alleged drug trafficking when they broke down Breonna Taylor's door as part of a "no-knock" raid. Her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, shot at the officers with a legally-owned firearm. However, the officers in turn fired 22 shots at the apartment, eventually fatally killing Taylor.

According to prosecutors, Brett Hankison fired 10 shots at Taylor's apartment through a window and a glass door, which were covered with drapes. Meanwhile, the police officer told a Kentucky grand jury that he opened fire once the shooting began.

After Brett Hankison was charged in September with "wanton endangerment" for firing into a neighbor's apartment, Ben Crump, the Taylor family's lawyer, noted that it was "outrageous and offensive" that no charges were brought in direct relation to the killing of Taylor.

As per Reuters, the prosecutors also reported that Jaynes and Goodlett later met each other in a garage to make a false story and cover up the false evidence that they had presented as a justification for the raid.

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What is the #SayHerName online movement?

#SayHerName is a social movement in the United States of America to raise awareness about Black women victims of police brutality and gender-specific forms of police violence.

At a vigil honoring the birthday of Breonna Taylor in June, 2020, activists, protesters, and her family members gathered in Louisville as they celebrated her birthday and called for immediate action to charge the killers. At that same vigil, Taylor's mother, Tamika Palmer, noted, via BBC:

"It started off lonely, but it's so amazing to see so many people standing up for her, just saying her name."

The #SayHerName campaign was created by legal scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw. The African American Policy Forum (AAPF) coined the hashtag #SayHerName in December 2014.

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Netizens reacted to the current developments

Previously, the fatal killing of Breonna Taylor and the other killings of 2020, including George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery, had given rise to global protests. From celebrities to fans, every social media user condemned these killings.

After four Louisville and Kentucky police officers were charged for the botched raid that led to Breonna Taylor's passing away, social media users took to Twitter to discuss the historic decision.

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Taylor's family has sued the Kentucky city over her death and reached $12m (£9.4m) settlement.