LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Federal prosecutors on Friday asked a judge to dismiss charges against two Louisville officers accused of falsifying the warrant that led police to raid Breonna Taylor’s apartment the night she was killed six years ago.
In a court filing, prosecutors said their review of the case showed charges against former Detective Joshua Jaynes and former Sgt. Kyle Meany should be “dismissed in the interest of justice.”
Judges had twice reduced a felony charge against each officer to a misdemeanor, finding there wasn’t a direct link between the false information in the warrant and Taylor’s death. After the second ruling, prosecutors said they had decided to drop the cases.
“We are elated with this development,” said Travis Lock, an attorney for Jaynes. Michael Denbow, Meany’s lawyer, said he was “incredibly grateful for today’s filing” and that Meany “is looking forward to putting this matter behind him and moving forward with his life.”
Taylor, 26, was shot to death on March 13, 2020, when officers broke down her apartment door while serving a no-knock drug warrant seeking a former boyfriend who no longer lived there. Her then-boyfriend fired at officers, and police returned fire, killing Taylor.
Taylor’s death and local anger over Louisville’s handling of the case drew widespread attention during the racial justice protests that followed George Floyd’s murder in Minneapolis. Activists have continued to cite her killing as an example of systemic injustice faced by Black women.
Federal prosecutors under President Joe Biden had brought charges against the officers. Under President Donald Trump, the Justice Department asked that Brett Hankison — the only officer serving prison time in connection with Taylor’s killing — be released while he appeals his conviction.
Taylor’s mother, Tamkia Palmer, wrote on Facebook that she is extremely disappointed in Trump’s Justice Department. “Their phone call today informing me that charges against the police are being dropped while implying they have helped me is utterly disrespectful,” Palmer wrote. “This is the first time I’ve heard from them since they took over and it’s clear they have not served me or Breonna well.”
A federal judge sentenced Hankison to 2 years and nine months in prison, plus three years of supervised release, for blindly firing 10 shots into Taylor’s windows; none hit anyone. The two officers who fired the shots that killed Taylor were not charged after prosecutors concluded their return fire was justified.
Police found no drugs or cash in Taylor’s apartment. The city of Louisville paid a $12 million wrongful death settlement to Taylor’s family.