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LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The U.S. Department of Justice has charged four Louisville police officers involved in Breonna Taylor’s murderous raid with civil rights violations.
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Federal charges against former officers Joshua Jaynes, Brett Hankison and Kelly Goodlett, as well as Sgt. Kyle Meany was announced Thursday by U.S. Attorney Merrick Garland.
Garland said federal officials “share but cannot fully imagine the grief” felt by Taylor’s family.
“Breonna Taylor should be alive today,” he said.
Taylor, a 26-year-old black medical worker, was shot dead by Louisville officers who broke down her door while executing the search warrant. Taylor’s boyfriend fired a shot that hit one of the officers as they walked through the door and they returned fire, hitting Taylor repeatedly.
Hankison, who was fired from the department in 2020, was one of the officers on Taylor’s doorstep and one of three who fired the shots that night. He was acquitted by a jury of state charges of wanton endangerment earlier this year in Louisville.
Jaynes had requested the warrant to search Taylor’s house. He was fired in January 2021 by former Louisville Acting Police Chief Yvette Gentry for violating department standards while preparing to execute a search warrant and for “lying.” in the Taylor mandate.
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