What we know about Kenneth Walker and the charges against him

The fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor has sparked national attention because of mounting pressure from activists, attorneys, and family members who want to know why she is dead.

Taylor wasn’t alone in her apartment the night police busted executing a “no-knock” search warrant, and calls are growing to free her boyfriend. 27-year-old Kenneth Walker has been charged with attempted murder after he allegedly shot a police officer who he thought was an intruder.

 

“Don’t African Americans have the right to the Second Amendment?” asked attorney Ben Crump, who is representing Taylor’s family. “He was trying to protect Breonna. He was trying to protect himself.”

 

Walker was arrested on March 13, less than 20 minutes after Breonna Taylor was shot eight times by police officers who entered their home.

In a sworn statement, Walker informed officers that night he was the only one to shoot from the apartment, and his defense attorney has said he acted in self-defense, fearing that someone was breaking in.

At a vigil for Taylor days after the shooting, Taylor’s aunt Bianca Austin said, “both their lives” were changed by the events.

“I want Kenny to know, we’re fighting for you, too,” Austin said. “You did not deserve this. … This should’ve never happened.”

“We’re not stopping until Kenny (is) out.”

 

Who is Kenneth Walker?

Walker, a Louisville native, had dated Taylor for “years.”

He was in her apartment the night of the shooting but didn’t live there full time. His arrest citation lists a home address in the Iroquois Park neighborhood.

He graduated from Valley High School, where he played football and attended Western Kentucky University for two years, his father wrote in an affidavit submitted in court documents.

Walker’s father, also named Kenneth, says his son was scheduled to start work at the U.S. Postal Service before the shooting. Before that, he’d worked various jobs, including roughly two years spent working for Coca-Cola.

“My son is not a drug dealer,” Walker’s father said. “Ms. Taylor was not a drug dealer. They both worked and were law-abiding citizens. Had they known police were at the door, they would have let them in immediately and allowed them to search.

“A horrible mistake has been made by the police.”

A phone number listed for Walker in public records is disconnected. His defense attorney, Rob Eggert, declined to make him available for an interview.

A GoFundMe for his legal fees set up by a relative three days after his arrest has surged in recent days, raising more than $127,000.