Breonna Taylor’s death: The DOJ announces new charges in connection with the passing of Breonna Taylor.
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said on Thursday that the Department of Justice has brought charges against four current and former police officers from the city of Louisville. Infractions of civil rights legislation, illegal conspiracies, unconstitutional use of force and obstruction of justice are all included in the list of charges.
“The federal charges issued today say that members of a police investigation unit fabricated the affidavit. That is, the affidavit used to get the search warrant for Ms. Taylor’s house. The charges stressed that this act violated federal civil rights statutes. Also, that these breaches resulted in Ms. Taylor’s murder,” Garland said in a news conference.
Breonna Taylor’s death: The DOJ announces new charges
In the federal charges brought against officer Joshua Jaynes, former Louisville detective Kelly Goodlett and officer Kyle Meany, it is alleged that they violated Taylor’s rights under the Fourth Amendment when they sought a warrant to search Taylor’s home while knowing they lacked probable cause and that they knew their affidavit supporting the warrant application contained false and misleading information and omitted other material information, which ultimately led to Taylor’s death.
Furthermore, it is claimed that they were aware of their affidavit. Goodlett and Jaynes have been charged with conspiracy. That is, for allegedly fabricating the affidavit that was used to obtain a search warrant. This is according to the statements made by the Department of Justice.
After Taylor’s death, the prosecutors claim that Jaynes and Goodlett met in a garage. This was “where they decided to tell investigators looking into the failed raid a fake tale.” The investigators were investigating the botched raid.
Brett Hankison, a former officer with the Louisville Metro Police Department who was involved in the incident that led to the murder of Breonna Taylor, has also been charged in connection with the case. Hankison has been charged with two counts of deprivation of rights under color of law. These two are considered to be violations of civil rights. This was in an indictment that was handed down.
During the raid, Hankison is said to have used unconstitutionally excessive force when he fired 10 shots through a window and sliding glass door in Taylor’s home that was covered in blinds and curtains after there was no longer a “lawful objective justifying the use of deadly force.” According to the allegations, Hankison violated the constitution by using excessive force.
Louisville Police Department
The Justice Department has been conducting an investigation since April 20, 2021. This is into possible patterns or practices of misconduct within the Louisville Police Department. Reporters were informed by Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division that the separate investigation is still active and that the Department of Justice has a team on the ground that is still conducting interviews with stakeholders and conducting ride-alongs with police there.
Garland stated that he notified Taylor’s family about the allegations during their conversation with him earlier on Thursday.
“We are sorry for the loss of Breanna Taylor’s loved ones and everyone else who was impacted by the events. That is, the event that took place on March 13, 2020, has suffered. However, we cannot truly comprehend how they must be feeling. Breonna Taylor needs to be living in the present, “Garland stated these things while speaking at a news conference.
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The Death of Breonna Taylor
On March 13, 2020, Breonna Taylor, an African-American woman who was 26 years old was shot to death in her apartment in Louisville, Kentucky, when at least seven police officers forced entry into the apartment as part of an investigation into drug dealing operations. Breonna’s death was the result of the shooting.
Jonathan Mattingly, Brett Hankison and Myles Cosgrove, officers with the Louisville Metro Police Department were among those who fired their weapons during the incident. When the plainclothes cops knocked on the door and subsequently forced entrance, Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker was inside the apartment with her at the time.
Walker stated that he did not hear any announcement, believed the cops to be invaders and fired a warning shot at them. The officers claimed that they declared themselves as police before forcing admission. However, Walker stated that he did not hear any announcement.
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Mattingly was struck in the leg by one of the rounds, which prompted the cops to retaliate with 32 shots. Walker escaped unharmed, but Taylor who was standing behind Walker, took six gunshot wounds and ultimately lost her life. According to the reports of the police, Taylor’s residence was never investigated.