Louisville to pay $12M in Breonna Taylor settlement

"I'm deeply, deeply sorry for Breonna's death."

Louisville, Kentucky Mayor Greg Fischer on Tuesday apologized to the family of Breonna Taylor - a Black woman who was shot dead by police in a botched raid on her apartment in March - and said the city will pay $12 million to the Taylor family and implement new police reforms.

FISCHER: "My administration is not waiting to move ahead with needed reforms to prevent a tragedy like this from ever happening again."

While the settlement was accompanied by reforms, it did not explicitly admit wrongdoing on the city's part.

No police officer has been criminally charged over Taylor's death, but Kentucky's Attorney General Daniel Cameron is expected to bring the case before a grand jury this week, and Lonita Baker - an attorney for Breonna Taylor's estate - said she was confident an indictment was coming.

BAKER: "We are not gonna stop our calls to hold the officers responsible for Brianna's death accountable. We're gonna continue to put pressure on the attorney general's office to present a fair case to the grand jury. And we're going to wait... we're... and we know that an indictment is coming from the grand jury. We have faith that an indictment is coming from the grand jury."

Also representing the Taylor family was Benjamin Crump, a civil rights attorney known for representing Black victims of police violence. He told reporters that the $12 million settlement appeared to be one of the largest of its kind in the United States.

CRUMP: "Lonita, I believe it may be the largest amount ever paid for a Black person in a police shooting. We're still trying to verify that."

Breonna Taylor's death, alongside that of George Floyd, gave rise to one of the largest protest movements in U.S. history.

"It is only the beginning of getting full justice for Breonna."

At Tuesday's news conference, Taylor's mother Tamika Palmer said it was now time for the officers involved to face criminal charges...

PALMER: "Please continue to say her name."

...and she encouraged demonstrators to continue fighting for justice.

NEWS CONFERENCE ATTENDEES CHANTING: "Say her name. Breonna Taylor. Arrest the cops. Arrest the cops. Arrest the cops."