LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Kenneth Walker stepped into the public eye Tuesday, filing a lawsuit against Louisville Metro Government and the Louisville Metro Police Department more than five months after his girlfriend, Breonna Taylor, was killed by police.

Walker, who was with Taylor the night she died, was initially charged with the attempted murder of an officer after police burst through Taylor’s door.

"The charges brought against me were meant to silence me and cover-up Breonna’s murder," Walker read from a prepared statement on the steps of Metro Hall. "For her and those that I love, I can no longer remain silent."

Walker was surrounded by his parents and two attorneys, Steven Romines and Frederick Moore.

"Kenny had never been in trouble in his life," Romines said as Walker's mother nodded in agreement. "And the police want you to believe that at almost one o'clock one evening he says, 'My first foray into the criminal justice world, I’m gonna try and shoot a cop.' It's a ridiculous position."

Romines and Walker claim that Walker and more than a dozen neighbors never heard plain-clothes LMPD officers identify themselves or give any warning before breaking into Taylor's Louisville home. Testimony from multiple officers who executed the now-banned no-knock warrant claim they did announce themselves to whoever was inside.

Walker can be heard on a 911 call sobbing as he spoke with a dispatcher after the incident.

"I don’t know what’s happening. Someone kicked in the door and shot my girlfriend," he said on the recording.

At the Tuesday press conference, Walker recounted that night.

"Breonna and I did not know who was banging on the door, but the police know what they did."

In the lawsuit, attorneys cite alleged mismanagement, abuse, and improper interrogation carried out by LMPD detectives. They also point out a post signed by Ryan Nichols, president of the River City FOP, to the order's Facebook page dated March 27.

At that time, Walker was still charged with the attempted murder of an officer and had just been released to house arrest — as hundreds of other inmates had either been moved or had their sentences commuted — to help stop the spread of COVID-19. In the post, Nichols condemned Judge Olu Stevens for allowing Walker to move home, writing, "This man violently attacked officers... Not only is he a threat to the men and women of law enforcement, but he also poses a significant danger to the community we protect!"

As of Sept. 1, the post remained active on River City FOP's Facebook page.

"Not only is the love of his life gone, and he has to deal with that," Moore said at the press conference. "...and the trust — or lack thereof — for the criminal justice system and how they treated him. His name is all over the world that they charged him with this."

Walker is requesting the court declare a handful of things, including:

• That Walker lawfully stood his ground when he fired a single shot at the doorway, believing an intruder was entering the home;
• That he cannot be charged any further for what happened the night of the shooting;
• That the Metro government is not immune from liability; and
• That Walker is owed compensation.

Neither the court filing nor Walker's attorneys have disclosed what they are seeking for compensation.