Breonna Taylor case: Evidence photos show shell casings and bodycam

New crime scene photos from the Breonna Taylor investigation show a number of shell casings in and near the EMT’s apartment after she was shot dead by police – as other images show that at least one officer was wearing a bodycam during the fatal raid. 

The photos were taken by Louisville Metro Police investigators in the hours after Taylor was gunned down in the early-morning raid on her apartment on March 13.

The images offer, for the first time, a glimpse into the scope of the fatal shooting when officers served a ‘no knock’ narcotics search warrant on Taylor’s apartment in relation to a drug investigation involving her ex-boyfriend. 

They also raise questions about previous statements made by law enforcement who have said there is no body cam footage of the raid because narcotics officers don’t wear cameras. 

The 1,232 photos, which were only obtained by media outlets on Friday, were included in the now-closed criminal case against Taylor’s boyfriend Kenneth Walker.

Walker, who filed a lawsuit against police this week, was initially charged with attempted murder after firing a single shot that police say wounded an officer when they stormed into the apartment as they served a ‘no knock’ narcotics search warrant.

The charge was later dropped without prejudice, which means he could potentially be charged again in the future.  

Several photos show bullet casing scattered on the ground throughout Taylor’s apartment and out into the parking lot of the complex. 

At least 10 bullets went into Taylor’s apartment through a sliding glass door located in the living room and also through a bedroom window. 

The window and door had the blinds drawn at the time.

There are also five bullet holes lodged in two neighboring apartments. 

Steve Romines, who is representing Walker in his lawsuit against the police department, told WDRB that the crime scene photos show Taylor’s apartment looked like a ‘war zone’. 

‘I’ve been doing criminal defense for 30 years, and I’ve never seen a crime scene like this,’ he said. 

‘The various trajectories of the bullets that they fired, I mean, they’re literally wildly shooting. They’re in various walls. They’re in the ceilings. They’re in the floors. You know, they’re through pots and pans in the kitchen. 

‘I mean, they’re just shooting everywhere.’ 

Other evidence photos, first reported on by Vice, show that at least one officer who raided the apartment was wearing a body camera at the time.

In the crime scene photos, a body camera can be seen on officer Anthony James’ right shoulder.

Another officer, Myles Cosgrove, can be seen in the photos wearing a body camera holder.

Immediately after the fatal shooting, police chief Steve Conrad and Mayor Greg Fischer, said no footage existed of the raid because narcotics officers were not required to wear body cameras.

‘This incident was related to the execution of a search warrant by members of our Criminal Interdiction Division and some of the officers assigned to this division do not wear body-worn video systems,’ Conrad, who has since been fired, said.  

The Mayor has repeatedly said that the officers involved in the raid were not wearing cameras.

The Louisville police department did not respond to DailyMail.com’s request for comment about the presence of the bodycam. 

Officers have to activate the cameras themselves. Romines, Walker’s attorney, said there was no excuse for the officer not to activate it.

‘That begs the question, you have it on your shoulder for that specific reason,’ he said. ‘What possible excuse is there not to have it on?’

Police are now required to wear body cameras in the wake of Taylor’s shooting.  

Police say one of the officers, Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly, was shot in the leg by Kenneth during the raid. 

Romines, however, has since said there is evidence that Walker didn’t fire the shot that injured the officer. 

Romines said officers likely fired about 40 bullets into Taylor’s apartment in two different waves after Kenneth fired the initial shot. 

‘We know police are firing wildly from various angles,’ Romines said. 

‘The timeline and evidence at the scene is more indicative of (police) actually shooting Mattingly than it is Kenny Walker.’ 

While Walker was not injured during the raid, his 26-year-old EMT girlfriend was shot eight times. 

Officers never found any drugs in her home.  

Walker fired his gun when officers stormed into the apartment and has since said he thought he was defending against a home invasion.  

At the time, Walker told police that he could hear knocking on the night of the shooting but did not hear police announce themselves.  

Walker said he was ‘scared to death’ so he grabbed his gun and when the door was knocked down, he fired a shot.  

He said his intention was to fire a warning shot downward toward the ground.

‘I am a legal gun owner and I would never knowingly shoot at a police officer,’ Walker said on Tuesday.