Two Louisville detectives fired in Taylor shooting
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Louisville Metro Police Department fired two detectives for actions in the raid that left Breonna Taylor dead in her apartment.
Detectives Myles Cosgrove and Joshua Jaynes are the latest detectives the department terminated in connection with the fatal police shooting of Taylor, 26.
Detective Brett Hankison was fired in June for “blindly” firing 10 rounds into Taylor’s apartment.
Cosgrove, who the FBI concluded fired the shot that killed Taylor, was accused of violating procedures for use of force and failing to use a body camera during the March 13 search warrant.
Jaynes, the officer who secured the search warrant for Taylor’s apartment, was found in violation of department policy for truthfulness and search warrant preparation.
Tuesday, Cosgrove sent an email to fellow officers blasting LMPD leadership for succumbing to “political pressures,” writing that leaders “aren’t afraid to perform hatchet jobs on you either.”
“Think about that next time you put on the uniform and badge,” Cosgrove wrote. “For those of you still doing real police work, it’s just a matter of time till you (too) will be a sacrificial lamb. I plead with you, do nothing.”
Cosgrove and Jaynes received pretermination letters last week that outlined the findings against them from interim Chief Yvette Gentry, who upheld her decision after meeting with each officer and his attorney.
Those meetings were an opportunity for the officers and their legal defense to present “additional information or mitigating factors in their favor.”
Under Kentucky state law and their union contract, Cosgrove and Jaynes can appeal their firings within 10 days to the Police Merit Board. The merit board could uphold the firings, or set aside the chief ’s finding and create a new penalty. An officer has the right to appeal the merit board’s decision within 30 days to a circuit court judge.
Hankison appealed his termination to the Police Merit Board, which will hear his appeal when his criminal case is completed.