'Justice for Breonna Taylor Act': Rand Paul introduces bill banning no-knock warrants

GOP Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul introduced a bill that would prevent police officers from forcibly entering homes without announcing their presence or purpose for entering.

On Thursday, Paul, a Republican, introduced the "Justice for Breonna Taylor Act," a two-page long bill that would effectively ban no-knock warrants.

“After talking with Breonna Taylor’s family, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s long past time to get rid of no-knock warrants. This bill will effectively end no-knock raids in the United States,” Paul said in a statement on Thursday.

The bill draft reads, "State or local law enforcement agency that receive funds from the Department of Justice during the fiscal year may not execute a warrant that does not require the law enforcement officer serving the warrant to provide notice of his or her authority and purpose before forcibly entering a premises."

Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old black woman, was shot and killed in March after police attempted to execute a search warrant for her apartment.

The police in the area were reportedly investigating two men who they believed were selling illegal drugs and suspected Taylor's apartment was used to receive packages from at least one of the men. The police obtained a “no-knock” warrant that allows law enforcement to enter homes without identifying themselves.

Police say they fired back after Taylor's boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, shot at them and wounded one of the officers. However, police accounts have been disputed about whether authorities knocked or identified themselves before entering Taylor's home.