A police officer involved in the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor will be fired, the city's mayor has said.
The 27-year-old black woman was shot eight times by officers who burst into her home in Louisville using a no-knock warrant during a March 13 investigation.
No drugs were found at Ms Taylor's home and her family have launched a wrongful death lawsuit.
Greg Fisher said interim Police Chief Robert Schroeder has started termination proceedings for Officer Brett Hankison. Two other officers remain on administrative reassignment while the shooting is investigated.
Mr Fischer said officials could not answer questions about the firing because of state law. He referred all questions to the Jefferson County attorney’s office.
A letter the chief sent to Mr Hankison said the officer violated standard operating procedures when he “wantonly and blindly fired 10 rounds into the apartment of Breonna Taylor”.
The letter said he fired the rounds “without supporting facts” that the deadly force was directed at a person posing an immediate threat.
“In fact, the 10 rounds you fired were into a patio door and window which were covered with material that completely prevented you from verifying any person as an immediate threat or more importantly any innocent persons present,” the letter said.
“I find your conduct a shock to the conscience,” Mr Schroeder wrote. “Your actions have brought discredit upon yourself and the department.”
Sam Aguiar, a lawyer for Ms Taylor’s family said the move was overdue.
“It’s about damn time. It should have happened a long time ago, but thankfully it’s at least happening now,” Mr Aguiar said.
“This is an officer that’s plagued our streets and made this city worse for over a dozen years. Let’s hope that this is a start to some good, strong criminal proceedings against Officer Hankison, because he definitely deserves to at least be charged.”
The warrant to search Ms Taylor’s home was in connection with a suspect who did not live there.
In a wrongful death lawsuit, Taylor's mother said the officers didn't knock at all before entering her apartment.
In May one of Mr Walker's attorneys released audio of the 911 call placed by Ms Taylor's boyfriend after she was shot.
In the call, Walker tells the 911 operator, "Somebody kicked in the door and shot my girlfriend," and that Taylor was unresponsive on the ground.
The release of the 911 call by Ms Taylor’s boyfriend marked the beginning of days of protests in Louisville, fuelled by her death and that of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis.
Her death sparked outrage around the world with celebrities such as Jennifer Lawrence and Beyonce calling for justice.
Beyonce said in a letter to Kentucky attorney general Daniel Cameron that the three Louisville police officers “must be held accountable for their actions”.
Since the beginning of the year, three African American people have died during high-profile encounters with the police and the US Justice Department has been asked to investigate systemic police misconduct.
