Federal prosecutors asked a judge Friday to dismiss charges against two Louisville police officers accused of falsifying information on the warrant that led to the raid in which Breonna Taylor was killed six years ago.
In a court filing, prosecutors said their review of the evidence showed the cases against former Detective Joshua Jaynes and former Sgt. Kyle Meany should be “dismissed in the interest of justice.” Judges had already twice reduced a felony charge against each officer to a misdemeanor, finding no direct causal link between the alleged false statements in the warrant and Taylor’s death. After the second reduction, prosecutors said they would drop the cases.
Attorneys for both officers welcomed the decision. Travis Lock, who represents Jaynes, said he was “elated” by the filing. Michael Denbow, Meany’s lawyer, said his client was “incredibly grateful” and looks forward to putting the matter behind him.
Taylor, 26, was shot and killed on March 13, 2020, when officers forced entry into her apartment while serving a no-knock drug warrant seeking a former boyfriend who no longer lived there. Her then-boyfriend fired at the officers; they returned fire and Taylor was struck and killed. No drugs or cash were found in her apartment.
The killing drew national attention amid the racial justice protests that followed George Floyd’s murder in Minneapolis and has remained a rallying point for activists who say it highlights systemic injustices faced by Black women.
Federal charges against the officers were brought under the administration of President Joe Biden. The story also notes that under President Donald Trump, the Justice Department sought to have Brett Hankison — the only officer who has been convicted in connection with Taylor’s death — released while he appealed his conviction.
Hankison was sentenced by a federal judge to two years and nine months in prison and three years of supervised release for firing 10 rounds blindly toward Taylor’s apartment; none of those shots struck anyone. Prosecutors did not charge the two officers who fired the shots that killed Taylor, concluding their return fire was justified.
Taylor’s family received a $12 million wrongful-death settlement from the city. In a Facebook post responding to the announcement that charges were being dropped, Taylor’s mother, Tamkia Palmer, said she was extremely disappointed in the Justice Department’s handling of the matter and criticized the timing and tone of the department’s outreach.