Kenny Walker, the boyfriend of Breonna Taylor, explained that he learned his girlfriend had been killed by the police through the news while he was being processed in jail.
Taylor was a 26-year-old EMT who was fatally shot by the Louisville Metro Police on March 13, 2020, after police officers entered her apartment to execute a drug search warrant while the couple was asleep. No drugs were found in the apartment, and four former Louisville, Kentucky officers have been charged in the shooting.
Walker recently opened up in an emotional interview on Red Table Talk with hosts Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith and Adrienne Banfield Norris which airs on October 12. In a preview clip posted on Tuesday, Walker described the minutes before and after the killing, including how he found out about his girlfriend's untimely death.
Walker had been taken into police custody after officers entered Taylor's apartment that night. He and other witnesses have claimed that the police did not announce themselves before entering the apartment, and, believing it to be an intruder, Walker allegedly fired a gun toward the door in self-defense.
"Now I'm knowing what they're probably accusing me of at this point, so I'm scared," he said in the exclusive clip of the interview. "They're trying to ask me questions about me, and I'm like, 'Listen, I'll get to that. Where is Breonna? Is Breonna OK? Is she alive?'
"Nobody is answering my questions. So I had to find out what happened on the news, sitting in jail. They didn't say her name, but they said a woman was killed. That's how I found out," Walker said.
In 2020, Walker had been charged with attempted murder of a police officer and assault, but the charges were dropped shortly after.
In another preview clip posted on Instagram by Red Table Talk, the recording of a 911 call made by Walker was played.
"I don't know what's happening, somebody kicked in the door and shot my girlfriend," Walker's voice is heard on the recording.
Following the recording, Jada can be seen with tears in her eyes, telling Walker, "You are trying to save your girlfriend. You have no idea what is going on. Nobody is explaining anything to you. These people are treating you like a criminal. Having it pieced together like this, just gives you so much more reality on what actually occurred."
Another clip was posted from Jada's Instagram account, this time of Taylor's mother Tamika Palmer, who also talks about the moment she found out her daughter was killed.
"I'm screaming at him, like, 'why won't you tell me where Breonna is? I need to know where Breonna is,' and he just looks at me and says, 'Well, ma'am, she's still in her apartment,' and so I...I knew what that meant," Palmer said in the clip.
The full interview will be released on Wednesday.
"I'm lifelong friends with the family of Kenny Walker––who all grew up in my hometown in Kentucky," activist Shaun King told Newsweek, where he is also a contributing editor. "It's important for both Kenny, and the family of Breonna Taylor, to be able to speak their mind and share their feelings in safe spaces––with people that love and care for them. I believe Red Table Talk is that kind of place for them."
Newsweek reached out to a representative for Jada Pinkett Smith for comment.
Updated 10/11/2022, at 3:45 p.m. ET: This story has been updated with comment from Shaun King.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Emma Mayer is a Newsweek Culture Writer based in Wyoming. Her focus is reporting on celebrities, books, movies, and music. ... Read more
