Two previous Louisville police officers were charged with falsifying a warrant that led to Breonna Taylor’s death, but a federal judge dismissed those costs. US District Judge Charles Simpson ruled that the behavior of Taylor’s partner, Kenneth Walker, who fired at officers during the attack, were the constitutional reason of her death, rather than the malfunctioning permit.
According to the New York Post, US Attorney General Merrick Garland filed provincial claims against Sgt Kyle Meany and former Louisville Police Detective Joshua Jaynes in August 2022.
Garland charged Jaynes and Meany with intentionally fabricating a portion of the warrant and inciting Taylor to danger by dispatching armed police to her home. Importantly, Jaynes and Meany were not existing at the attack.
Judge Simpson’s judgement on Tuesday stated,” There is no clear link between the illegal access and Taylor’s death”. His choice has reduced the civil rights violation claims against Jaynes and Meany from crimes, which carried a peak life word, to misdemeanours.
Judge maintains some costs
But, Judge Simpson continued to file a crime charge against Meany, who reportedly made false statements to the police, and did not dismiss Jaynes. According to the allegations, Jaynes and Meany allegedly started events that led to Taylor’s death before being interrupted when Walker shot at the officers.
The indictment claims that ( Walker ) disrupted those events when he decided to open fire on the police, despite the claim that Jaynes and Meany set off a string of events that led to Taylor’s death.
When authorities broke down Taylor’s doorway in March 2020 with a drug permit, Walker fired a shot, hitting an official in the foot. He claimed that he thought an attacker was breaking in. Officers returned fire, killing Taylor, a 26-year-old Black person, in her doorway. Simpson concluded Walker’s execute was the “proximate, or authorized, cause of Taylor’s death”.
Walker was first accused of murdering a police agent, but the charge was dropped when his defenses asserted that he had no idea how to shoot at officers.
Family’s response to the decision
Taylor’s community expressed their despair with Simpson’s decision.
They wrote in a written statement to The Associated Press that” Obviously we are devastated at the moment by the court’s ruling, with which we disagree. We are simply trying to process everything.”
Lawyers informed the family of their request to challenge Simpson’s decision.
The family’s statement continued,” We will continue to fight until we get full justice for Breonna Taylor,” adding that the only thing we can do at this stage is remain person.
In an email, the US fairness ministry stated that it is “reviewing the judge’s decision and evaluating next ways.”
Kelly Goodlett’s part in the case
Kelly Goodlett, a former official indicted for a conspiracy charge in the federal warrant circumstance, is scheduled to testify against Jaynes and Meany at their tests in 2022. Federal prosecutors discovered that Jaynes, the person who created the Taylor permit, made up false information to Goodlett that he had checked with a post agent about a alleged drug dealer’s house receiving packages.
Prosecutors claimed Goodlett was informed that this was false and that Jaynes was informed that the warrant lacked sufficient evidence to link Taylor to unlawful activity. Despite this, Goodlett added a note to the subpoena that stated the alleged drug dealer was using Taylor’s room as his present residence.
Two months later, Jaynes and Goodlett met in Jaynes ‘ door to exchange their narratives before he spoke with authorities about the Taylor permit as the Taylor killing gained national attention.
Upcoming test for Brett Hankison
Former officer Brett Hankison even faced claims by federal prosecutors in 2022 for endangering Taylor, Walker, and neighborhood when he fired into Taylor’s panels. Hankison is scheduled to be retried on those expenses in October, but his trial next year ended with a hung jury.
