Tyler Perry Donates $100K to Legal Defense Fund for Breonna Taylor’s Boyfriend, Kenneth Walker

Tyler Perry has donated $100,000 to the legal defense fund of Kenneth Walker, the boyfriend of Breonna Taylor, who was shot to death in her own apartment March 13 by Louisville Metro police.

Walker was in the apartment at the time of the incident, and fired a warning shot at the officers, believing them to be intruders. Though the officers maintain that they announced themselves before entry, Walker has said that they did not and that the shot was an act of self-defense.

Walker is being sued by one of the officers who killed his girlfriend while executing the no-knock search warrant. Officer Jonathan Mattingly is seeking unspecified damages for assault and emotional distress.

A GoFundMe page was created on Nov. 10 to raise money for the upcoming legal battle, with a goal set at $100,000. Perry helped Walker to surpass it with his donations on Sunday, which came in portions. One for two $10,000, then one for $50,000 and another for $30,000, with the donor listed as Tyler Perry. A source close to Perry confirmed to Variety that the pledge did indeed come from the star.

Walker was originally charged with attempted murder of a police officer, but those charges were dropped on May 26. In September, Walker filed a civil suit against the city of Louisville and the police department, in which his attorneys argued that Walker cannot be arrested and charged again due to Kentucky’s “Stand Your Ground” law, which protects actions of self-defense.

Mattingly and the other officers involved in the raid on Taylor’s apartment were not charged for Taylor’s death.