LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A mural of Breonna Taylor in her hometown has been vandalized, and a reward is being offered to help find those responsible for the damage.
The newly unveiled mural on an outdoor basketball court in Louisville was damaged by two people on a motorbike last week. The bike left long skid marks over the portrait of the Black woman, whose death at the hands of police last year galvanized nationwide protests against police brutality and systemic racism.
A security video posted by the Louisville Metro Council on its Facebook page showed two people on a bike damaging the court.
Tamika Palmer, Taylor’s mother, said the vandals hurt the healing process going on in the city since her daughter’s death.
“I hope that when you are caught you face charges for your heinous acts and you know you failed the city and the community with your disregard for a black life, a woman’s life, a life that has brought this city and its communities together like never before,” Palmer said in a statement.
An anonymous donor has offered a $2,500 reward for information that leads to an arrest and conviction. The mural was unveiled on the court on June 4.
Taylor, an emergency medical worker, was fatally shot by police in her apartment during a no-knock search warrant on March 13, 2020 after Taylor’s boyfriend fired a shot at officers. No drugs were found and none of the three white officers who fired into her home were charged by a grand jury in connection with her death.