A Kentucky judge has ruled that Breonna Taylor’s boyfriend’s decision to open fire was the legal reason for her fatal shooting by police officers, dismissing federal charges against two officers who allegedly falsified a drug arrest warrant that led to police kicking in her door and killing her in 2020.
In a ruling Thursday, U.S. District Judge Charles R. Simpson III dismissed felony charges against former Louisville Police Detective Joshua Jaynes, who was accused of knowingly making a false affidavit for a search warrant for Taylor’s home. Former Sergeant Kyle Meany, who approved the warrant, was also accused of approving the warrant.
Three plainclothes Louisville police officers, Brett Hankison, Jon Mattingly and Myles Cosgrove, executed a search warrant at Taylor’s home on March 13, 2020. Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, was awakened by pounding on the door and said he assumed it was a burglary. He fired a shot in the dark, striking Mattingly. The officers fired 32 shots, killing Taylor.
The judge ruled that “there is no direct connection between the warrantless search and Taylor’s death,” writing that Jaynes and Meany were not involved in the raid on Taylor’s home. Instead, he wrote, Walker’s decision to open fire was the legal cause of Taylor’s death.
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced federal charges against Jaynes, Meany and two other officers in 2022.
Simpson’s ruling Thursday means that Jaynes and Meany, who could have faced life in prison if they had been found guilty of the felony charges, now only face misdemeanor charges related to covering up the alleged false search warrant and lying to investigators. Both men have pleaded not guilty to all charges.
There is no objective account yet of the chaos surrounding Taylor’s fatal shooting. Her family has long disputed police accounts of what happened at her home that night, and the officers who executed the warrant have given differing versions of events. None of the officers used body cameras during the operation.
Taylor’s family said in a statement to The Associated Press that prosecutors have informed them they will appeal Simpson’s ruling.
“Obviously, we are devastated right now by the judge’s ruling, which we disagree with, and we are just trying to process everything,” they said. “The only thing we can do right now is be patient. … We will continue to fight until we get full justice for Breonna Taylor.”
This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
