Louisville corrections officer leaves department after video mocking police killing Breonna Taylor
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – A Louisville corrections officer left the department this week after officials say he filmed an offensive video mocking the police killing of Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman who was killed by police when they raided her home with a 'no knock' warrant in 2020.
Turhan Knight, who had worked for Metro Corrections since 2018, is no longer employed by the jail, according to Louisville Metro Department of Corrections union president Daniel Johnson. The organization will not appeal his firing, Johnson said, and members are "glad to see the department take quick action to end his employment." Knight, meanwhile, said he wasn't fired, but had planned on leaving the department before the incident.
The video, which was filmed at the Kentucky State Fair, appeared to be a parody Louisville Metro Police recruitment pitch. Knight, the lone speaker on screen, is shown in uniform walking alongside Louisville police vehicles at the fair while telling viewers the department is "trying to repair broken relationships" with the community.
"Be a part of a great, great police department," Knight says on screen at one point. "Never mind what happened to Breonna Taylor," he says, adding "we killed" her, using an expletive instead of Taylor's name.
Taylor was fatally shot by Louisville officers serving a no-knock warrant at her apartment in March 2020 during a drug investigation. The investigation found no drugs at Taylor’s apartment. Neither Taylor nor Kenneth Walker, Taylor's boyfriend who was with her at the time of the shooting, had criminal records.
She and her boyfriend were in bed when they heard banging at the door. Fearing it was an intruder, her boyfriend opened fire at police as they broke the door off its hinges. Police officers returned fire at the couple, killing Taylor.
Her death led to a protest movement in Louisville and across the nation, along with widespread calls to ban no-knock warrants.
Four former police officials are facing federal charges over her killing, with former officer Kelly Goodlett pleading guilty this month to one count of conspiring to violate Taylor's civil rights, as Goodlett admitted helping falsify an affidavit for the search of her apartment.
"The video was absolutely horrible, and there is no place in uniform for anyone that would do something so insensitive," Johnson said Friday. "We believe the termination was absolutely justified and was the right decision."
Knight, meanwhile, said he had already given notice that he planned to leave the department, weeks before the video was made public. He said he wasn't given termination papers that would show he was fired.
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In the video, Knight discusses the perks of working for Louisville police, including unlimited time off and the ability to support a family.
"Do you want to kill people and be able to get off for it?" Knight asks in conclusion. "Join Louisville Metro Police Department and answer the call."
Knight is in the process of retaining a lawyer, he said via social media to a reporter with the Courier Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network. He said he had recently put in his notice with Metro Corrections, and last Friday was his last day on the job. The video was a joke based on his feelings toward LMPD, he said, and how "some officers handled past situations."
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Knight said he was "deeply remorseful," though, and did not mean to offend Taylor or her family. He said he has close ties with Walker's family and said he regretted the video.
In an additional statement sent Saturday morning, Knight again apologized to Taylor's family, as well as his own family and other law enforcement officials. He said he had not been fired, but informed the department he was planning to leave the job three weeks earlier.
"I should have received punishment. I don’t deny that. But blatant lies told against me to look good for media purposes is just wrong," Knight said in a statement, noting he planned to have an attorney release additional information in the future. "I hope that I can be forgiven, I pray I will. I made a terrible decision. There aren’t enough apologies that I can give right now but I am deeply remorseful."
Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer described the video as "hideous." The former officer was "fired immediately upon learning of the video," a statement said.
"There is zero excuse for his insensitivity," Fischer's statement said. "He has brought great shame upon Metro Corrections and all of Louisville Metro Government. I deeply apologize to the family of Breonna Taylor and all of the hard working and ethical employees of Louisville Metro Government. One person will not tarnish the good work we attempt to do on behalf of our residents."
A statement from Metro Corrections said the jail fired Knight on Thursday after confirming the video and viewing it.
"Director (Jerry) Collins was disgusted by the content of the video and moved as quickly as possible to terminate Knight," the statement said. "Knight's behavior is unacceptable and does not reflect the professionalism and spirit of service that we strive for at LMDC."
Contributing: Krista Johnson, Courier Journal
Reach Lucas Aulbach at laulbach@courier-journal.com
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville jail officer fired after video mocking police killing Breonna Taylor
