The civil lawsuit claims Mattingly experienced “severe trauma, mental anguish, and emotional distress” after Walker allegedly shot him in the leg. Walker is a licensed gun owner and said he fired in self-defense, since the officers did not announce themselves and he thought they were intruders. The police were investigating Taylor’s alleged ties to a drug case, even though the main suspect had already been arrested, and in response to Walker’s shot they sprayed the apartment with bullets (and did not find any drugs).
Tamika Palmer, Taylor’s mother, told the Washington Post that Walker had called her that night to say someone was trying to break into the apartment and then shouted, “I think they shot Breonna.”
Walker’s attorney told CBS news that the lawsuit is a “baseless attempt to further victimize and harass Kenny.” “One would think that breaking into the apartment, executing his girlfriend, and framing him for a crime in an effort to cover up her murder would be enough for them,” attorney Steve Romines said in a statement.