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- Breonna Taylor’s boyfriend caused her death, federal judge rules (newsbreak.com)
A federal judge has dismissed significant felony charges against two former Louisville police officers previously implicated in submitting a fraudulent warrant, leading to Breonna Taylor’s fatal shooting.
U.S. District Judge Charles Simpson ruled that Taylor’s boyfriend, who shot at officers during the raid, legally triggered the events that led to her death rather than the faulty warrant.
In 2022, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland formally charged former Detective Joshua Jaynes and former Sgt.
Kyle Meany with falsifying the warrant they acquired. Garland stated that while the two were not physically present during the raid, they were responsible for creating a perilous scenario by directing armed police to Taylor’s residence.
However, Judge Simpson indicated in his recent Tuesday decision that there wasn’t a direct connection between this unauthorized entry and Taylor’s death. Consequently, the serious civil rights violation charges against Jaynes and Meany were lowered to misdemeanors from potential life sentences.
The court did, however, maintain a conspiracy charge against Jaynes and another charge against Meany for making false statements during the investigation.
When police entered Taylor’s apartment in March 2020 using the drug warrant, her boyfriend Kenneth Walker, believing they were intruders, fired and injured an officer. The police responded by firing back, killing 26-year-old Taylor.
Judge Simpson attributed the proximate cause of Taylor’s death to Walker’s actions. Despite allegations that Jaynes and Meany initiated the fatal chain of events, the judge noted that Walker’s decision to fire at the officers altered that sequence.
Walker, initially charged with attempting to murder a police officer, had those charges dropped after his defense argued he was unaware he was shooting at police.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Justice Department mentioned that the decision is currently under review, and they are considering the next steps.
In another branch of the case, former officer Kelly Goodlett pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge in 2022 and is expected to testify against Jaynes and Meany at their forthcoming trials.
Court records reveal that before serving the warrant, Jaynes falsely assured Goodlett he had confirmed with a postal inspector that a suspected drug dealer was using Taylor’s apartment for package deliveries. This led Goodlett to falsely enhance the warrant by listing the drug dealer’s supposed use of Taylor’s address.
Brett Hankison, another former officer, faces federal charges for recklessly endangering Taylor, Walker, and their neighbors during the raid. After a hung jury last year, Hankison is due for a retrial in October.
Additionally, in 2022, Louisville agreed to a $2 million settlement for lawsuits filed by Walker in both federal and state courts.
Reflecting on justice for Breonna Taylor, her boyfriend Kenneth Walker told “CBS Mornings” co-host Gayle King: “Breonna Taylor sitting right here next to me. That’s the only justice for me.”
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- Breonna Taylor’s boyfriend caused her death, federal judge rules (newsbreak.com)