Breonna Taylor would probably still be alive today had Louisville Metro police officers not falsified the affidavit to obtain the no-knock search warrant that led to her death, according to federal prosecutors who earlier today announced felony charges against four officers involved in her shooting death.
The cops then conspired after her death to concoct a fake story to cover up for their crimes, according to the unsealed indictments.
The announcement was made five months after a Kentucky jury cleared one of the cops, Brett Hankison, of charges of wanton endangerment.
Now a federal grand jury has indicted Hankison, along with Kelly Goodlet, Joshua Jaynes and Kyle Meany.
The actual target of the raid was Jamarcus Glover, Taylor’s ex-boyfriend, who was suspected of dealing drugs but did not live in her home.
However, Detectives Jayne and Goodly falsely claimed in the affidavit that a postal inspector had told them Glover was receiving packages at Taylor’s home which is why a judge signed the warrant, according to the indictments.
Seven cops were involved in the raid that took place at 12:45 a.m. on March 13, 2020, breaking the door down to Taylor’s apartment where she was sleeping with her boyfriend.
Upon hearing the cops breaking into the home, Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, opened fire with a gun he legally owned, prompting three cops to return fire, killing Taylor, a 26-year-old emergency room technician.
It was a bullet from Detective Miles Cosgrove’s gun that killed Taylor who was fired has not been charged. Walker was charged with attempted murder of a police officer but charges were dismissed a year later after it was determined he did not know they were cops.
Five days after the raid, after local media reported that a postal inspector never told police that Glover was receiving packages at Taylor’s home, Jaynes texted Goodlet to meet him in his garage where they coordinated a story to protect themselves.
The two cops concocted a story that another cop, identified in the indictment as “Sgt. J.M.”, had told them Glover was receiving packages at Taylor’s home but that was also a lie.
Meany and Goodlet remained employed with the Louisville Metro Police Department but Jaynes and Hankison were fired. However, Jaynes is suing to get his job back.
“Breonna Taylor should still be alive,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said earlier today in the press conference which you can watch below.
Read the press release from the United States Department of Justice here and read the indictments here, here and here.
about time!