Raps for Breonna foursome
Fed focus vs. cops in raid shoot
Four current and former Kentucky police officers were hit with federal charges related to the 2020 killing of Breonna Taylor, who was shot during a law-enforcement raid at her apartment, US Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Thursday.
Former Louisville Metro Police Department officers Joshua Jaynes, Kelly Goodlett and Brett Hankison and current LMPD Sgt. Kyle Meany were charged in two separate indictments with “civilrights offenses, unlawful conspiracies and use of force and obstruction offenses” related to Taylor’s death. Jaynes, Goodlett and Meany are accused of committing civilrights offenses in the falsification of a so-called “no-knock” search warrant, Garland said.
“Federal charges announced today allege that members of the Place-Based Investigations Unit falsified the affidavit used to obtain the search warrant of Ms. Taylor’s home,” the AG said, adding: “This act violated federal civil-rights laws, and those violations resulted in Miss Taylor’s death.”
Taylor, a 26-year-old black medical worker, was shot and killed by officers as they attempted to carry out the warrant for a search of her home. During the incident, Taylor’s boyfriend fired at the officers, believing an intruder was entering the apartment. Taylor was hit multiple times when the police returned fire.
The Department of Justice believes cops knew the affidavit used to support the warrant contained “false and misleading information,” including that officers had “verified that the target of the alleged drug-trafficking operation had received packages at Ms. Taylor’s address,” Garland said.
“We alleged that the defendants knew their actions and falsifying the affidavit could create a dangerous situation, and we allege these unlawful acts resulted in Ms. Taylor’s death,” Garland continued, noting the officers conducting the raid were unaware of its false and misleading statements.
‘Misleading’ authorities
Jaynes and Goodlett have also been accused of conspiring to “mislead federal, state and local authorities” investigating the incident after Taylor’s death.
“For example, we allege that in May 2020, those two defendants met in a garage where they agreed to tell investigators a false story,” Garland said.
The DOJ separately alleges that Meany “lied to the FBI during its investigation in this manner.”
Jaynes faces one count of willfully depriving Taylor of her constitutional rights in his official capacity as an officer, another count of conspiracy and one count of falsifying a report.
Meany faces one count of willfully depriving Taylor of her constitutional rights in his official capacity as an officer and one count of making a false statement to federal investigators. Goodlett faces one count of conspiracy.
Hankison — who was found not guilty earlier this year in a state trial on three counts of first-degree wanton endangerment in connection to the shooting — has been charged with two civil-rights offenses, with the DOJ alleging he “willfully used unconstitutionally excessive force while engaging in his official capacity as an officer.”
The former detective was among the several officers executing the search warrant and blindly shot 10 bullets through a covered window and sliding glass door.
“Community Safety dictates that police officers use their weapons only when necessary to defend their own lives or the lives of others,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke said.
Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer celebrated the charges, calling them a “critical step forward in the process toward achieving justice for Breonna Taylor.”