Oprah Winfrey is dedicating the cover of her eponymous ‘O’ magazine to a portrait of  Breonna Taylor, the 26 year-old shot dead by police in her own home.

It is the first time in the publication’s 20-year history that Ms Winfrey, 66, has not appeared on the cover.

Taylor, a black emergency medical technician, was killed by police in March as officers carried out a no-knock warrant for a drugs case in Louisville.

Announcing her gesture on Twitter, Ms Winfrey said: "Breonna Taylor. She was just like you. And like everyone who dies unexpectedly, she had plans. 

"Plans for a future filled with responsibility and work and friends and laughter. Imagine if three unidentified men burst into your home while you were sleeping. 

"And your partner fired a gun to protect you. And then mayhem. What I know for sure: We can’t be silent. We have to use whatever megaphone we have to cry for justice. 

“And that is why Breonna Taylor is on the cover of O magazine. I cry for justice in her name.”

The cover was designed by digital artist Alexis Franklin, who said: "The original photo is one Breonna took herself and has been featured in the news many times.

"Looking at it, I see an innocence, simple but powerful. It was critical for me to retain that. And there was a sparkle in Breonna's eyes—a young Black woman posing in her Louisville EMS shirt, happy to be alive."

The September edition of ‘O’ is available from August 11.