Federal prosecutors asked a judge Friday to drop charges against two Louisville officers accused of falsifying the warrant that led to the raid on Breonna Taylor’s apartment the night she was killed six years ago.
In a court filing, prosecutors said their review found the charges against former Detective Joshua Jaynes and former Sgt. Kyle Meany should be “dismissed in the interest of justice.”
Judges had twice reduced a felony charge against each officer to a misdemeanor, ruling there was no direct link between the false information in the warrant and Taylor’s death. After the second ruling, prosecutors said they would move to dismiss the cases.
“We are elated with this development,” said Travis Lock, an attorney for Jaynes.
Meany’s attorney, Michael Denbow, said he is “incredibly grateful for today’s filing.”
Meany “is looking forward to putting this matter behind him and moving forward with his life,” he said.
Taylor, 26, died after police forced entry into her apartment while executing a no-knock drug warrant targeting a former boyfriend who no longer lived there.
Her boyfriend at the time fired at officers, and Taylor was killed when police returned fire.
Taylor’s death on March 13, 2020, drew national attention amid widespread protests over racial injustice following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis later that year. Years later, activists continue to cite her case as an example of systemic injustice affecting Black women.
Federal prosecutors under former President Joe Biden had pursued charges against the officers. Under President Donald Trump, however, the Department of Justice requested that Brett Hankison — the only officer serving prison time related to Taylor’s death — be released while he appeals his conviction.
Taylor’s mother, Tamkia Palmer, said in a Facebook post that she is deeply disappointed with the Justice Department’s decision.
“Their phone call today informing me that charges against the police are being dropped while implying they have helped me is utterly disrespectful,” Palmer wrote. “This is the first time I’ve heard from them since they took over and it’s clear they have not served me or Breonna well.”
A federal judge sentenced Hankison to two years and nine months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for firing 10 shots into Taylor’s windows that night. None of the shots struck anyone.
Prosecutors did not charge the two officers who shot Taylor, determining they were justified in returning fire.
Police found no drugs or cash in Taylor’s apartment. The city later paid a $12 million wrongful death settlement to her family.
Leave a Comment