Entertainment

New Audio From Breonna Taylor Shooting Raises Conflicting Stories

Those protesting across the world for justice in the police shooting of Breonna Taylor have truly made their voices heard in the four months since she was killed in her home during a no-knock search warrant. Now, the release of new audio tapes from the internal investigation provide conflicting reports from Taylor’s boyfriend and the officer who he shot as Louisville PD broke down their door, adding even more confusion to the whole ordeal.

Image: Patrick Smith/Getty Images

CNN reports that the new tapes feature interviews with Kenneth Walker, Breonna’s boyfriend who was present on the night of the shooting, and Sgt. Jon Mattingly, the first officer to enter the apartment and be injured by the gunshot that sparked the police gunfire which killed Taylor. The main conflict is whether or not the police properly identified themselves before breaking down the door, which Walker claims didn’t happen and as a result made him fire in self defense of what he thought was a burglary. Mattingly says otherwise, claiming he and his officers knocked multiple times with no response.

Here’s how CNN breaks down Sgt. Jon Mattingly’s recollection of the night Breonna Taylor was shot and killed:

The tapes also include an interview with Mattingly, conducted on March 25, nine days after his release from the hospital. Mattingly was interviewed with an attorney present.

In the interview, Mattingly maintains that officers identified themselves repeatedly before breaking down Taylor’s door.

Though the narcotics warrant that police say they were serving at Taylor’s door was a so-called no-knock warrant, Mattingly told investigators the officers were instructed to knock on the door.

Recounting the pre-operational briefing for the warrant at the recommendation of his attorney, Mattingly said, “I verbally heard, ‘We have it signed as a no-knock, but we’re not going to go that route.’”

Neither Mattingly nor Walker deny that the police officers banged on the door. Mattingly, however, told investigators that police repeatedly knocked on the door and announced their presence.

“I probably banged on the door six or seven different time periods,” Mattingly was recorded telling investigators. “Seems like an eternity when you’re up at a doorway. It probably lasted between 45 seconds and a minute,” he said.

“We banged on it, no response,” Mattingly said. “Banged on it again, no response. At that point we started announcing ourselves: ‘Police! Please come to the door! Police! We have a search warrant!’”

Walker agrees that the multiple knocks did happen, however neither he nor Taylor heard a response after repeatedly asking “Who is it?” As they approached the door, he says it came “off the hinges” leading him to shoot in defense. Sadly, only he would live to recount their side of the story.

We’ll continue to keep you all updated as we demand justice for Breonna Taylor along with the rest of the Black Lives Matter movement.

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Meek Mill Draws Mixed Reactions With Drill Take on Nico & Vinz’s “Am I Wrong”

Meek Mill has released a couple of songs that leaked online recently, giving fans a proper way to hear the tracks after they popped up over the weekend. “Philly Heathens” has been praised for its attention to street culture and youth affected by violence, but his other new album, “Am I Wrong,” has received a much more divided response.

“Philly Heathens” has been praised for its lyrics about street culture and the young people who get caught up in violence. “Am I Wrong,” however, takes a vastly different approach, remixing the song of the same name by Nico & Vinz as a drill centric interpolation.

“Am I Wrong” is now 12 years old, and its connection to the EDM sound of the time makes it especially recognizable to those who grew up with it. So Meek’s take is built on a familiar musical reference, but the response has been far from universally complimentary. A lot of the criticism has been directed at the hook. The production has also been called dated, but the track was leaked, which may explain its sound. But the strongest reactions have focused on Meek’s chorus vocals.

Some of the responses have been good, though. Some listeners felt the track was a throwback to the blog era, while others thought the criticism targeted almost entirely the hook, not the song as a whole. One Reddit commenter wrote that the track was good, but the chorus was bad, suggesting that Meek’s performance on the rest of the song was better than the reception to the hook may suggest.

The different reactions demonstrate the contrast between Meek’s two new leaks. “Philly Heathens” has resonated with audiences for its subject matter, while “Am I Wrong” has sparked discussion due to its interpolation and vocal approach.

Both songs are now officially available on YouTube so that fans can decide for themselves. The response to “Am I Wrong” shows how difficult it is to reinterpret a well known song, especially when a recognizable hook becomes the centerpiece of the new version

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Celebrity

Drake Joins Karol G in Houston for First Live Performance of “Ahi”

Drake made a surprise appearance in Houston this weekend, joining Karol G on stage for the first-ever live performance of their collaboration, “Ahi.”
The surprise appearance took place during Karol G’s show in Houston, where Drake jumped out from the bottom of the stage to perform the song with her. “Ahi” is the latest from Karol G’s project No Me Arrepiento de Sentir Tanto, and the Houston show marked the first time the pair had performed the collaboration together on stage.

Drake made his entrance to a loud reception from the crowd. The rapper popped out from under the stage, bowed to Karol G, hugged her, and launched into their collaboration. With “Ahi,” the performance was not over. Drake stayed on stage and carried on with the set, performing “Janice STFU” and “One Dance” and giving the Houston crowd a long set from the Canadian rapper.

The collaboration also sparked speculation about Drake’s upcoming music. A rumor started that Karol G was one of the collaborators on the project, along with Molly Santana and Future, days before ICEMAN is expected to drop. Future and Molly Santana were among the names on the rumored list, and Future ended up on “Run To Atlanta.”

Drake’s Houston appearance comes as he continues to promote music outside the traditional album release cycle. He released FOMO, a visual YouTube project featuring visuals for several songs from Habibti and Maid Of Honor nearly two weeks ago. The project also featured a couple of unreleased songs, including new material with Yeat and new unreleased music with Don Toliver.

Drake and Don Toliver have also dropped a remix of Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas.” The remix has recently sparked speculation about the artists after re uploaded visuals allegedly erased all footage of Langley.

But the Houston show shifted the focus back to Drake and Karol G. The surprise appearance turned the stop into the first live showcase of “Ahi” for the audience, while Drake’s renditions of “Janice STFU” and “One Dance” extended his surprise time onstage. It also gave fans their first chance to see the two artists perform their collaboration together, adding a live chapter to the release of “Ahi. “

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