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Four current, former Louisville police officers federally charged in Breonna Taylor's death

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Four current, former Louisville police officers federally charged in Breonna Taylor's death
By Eliott C. McLaughlin, Sonia Moghe and Hannah Rabinowitz, CNN

Updated 1:39 PM ET, Thu August 4, 2022

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Four current and former Louisville police officers involved in the deadly raid on Breonna Taylor's home -- including detectives who worked on the search warrant and the ex-officer accused of firing blindly into her home -- have been charged with civil rights violations and other counts, Attorney General Merrick Garland said Thursday.

The charges mark the first federal counts leveled against any of the officers involved in the botched March 2020 raid. In addition to civil rights offenses, federal authorities charged the four with unlawful conspiracies, unconstitutional use of force and obstruction, Garland said.

Former Detective Joshua Jaynes, 40, Detective Kelly Goodlett and Sgt. Kyle Meany, 35, were charged with submitting a false affidavit to search Taylor's home ahead of the Louisville Metropolitan Police Department's raid, and then working together to create a "false cover story in an attempt to escape responsibility for their roles in preparing the warrant affidavit that contained false information," according to court documents.

Ex-detective Brett Hankison is alleged to have "willfully used unconstitutionally excessive force ... when he fired his service weapon into Taylor's apartment through a covered window and covered glass door."


He is charged with depriving Taylor and a guest in her home "of their constitutional rights by firing shots through a bedroom window that was covered with blinds and a blackout curtain," the US Department of Justice said.

The 46-year-old also faces charges of depriving three of Taylor's neighbors of their constitutional rights as, according to the indictment, the bullets he fired traveled through a wall in Taylor's home and into an adjacent apartment.

Jaynes and Meany stand accused of willfully depriving Taylor of her constitutional rights by drafting and approving a false affidavit to obtain a search warrant, while knowing "the affidavit contained false and misleading statements, omitted material facts, relied on stale information, and was not supported by probable cause," the DOJ statement said. Both men "knew that the execution of the search warrant would be carried out by armed LMPD officers, and could create a dangerous situation both for those officers and for anyone who happened to be in Taylor's home," it said.

Goodlett conspired with Jaynes and Meany to "falsify the search warrant for Taylor's home and to cover up their actions afterward," the statement said.
Jaynes and another detective tried to cover up their actions by drafting a bogus investigative letter and making false statements to investigators, according to the statement. Jaynes falsified a report in hopes of impeding a criminal probe into Taylor's death; Meany also made false statements, the statement said.

Goodlett and Jaynes met in a garage weeks after the botched raid and conspired to relay false information to investigators, the attorney general alleged.
"We allege that Ms. Taylor's Fourth Amendment rights were violated when defendants Joshua Jaynes, Kyle Meany and Kelly Goodlett sought a warrant to search Ms. Taylor's home knowing the officers lacked probable cause for the search," Garland said.

The affidavit falsely claimed officers had verified that the target of their drug trafficking investigation had received packages at Taylor's address, but Jaynes and Goodlett knew that was not true, Garland said.

Jaynes, appearing virtually from a detention facility wearing shorts and a polo shirt, entered a not guilty plea. Prosecutors are not requesting that he be detained pending trial, but they ask that he be prohibited from contacting any possible witnesses or defendants in the case.

Hankison, who fired 10 shots into Taylor's home and was acquitted on state wanton endangerment charges earlier this year, was indicted on two federal counts of deprivation of rights under color of law. Hankison's attorney declined to comment. Only Hankison was charged at the state level.

Officers who carried out the search warrant were not involved in the drafting of the warrant and were unaware it contained false information, the attorney general said.
"We share but we cannot fully imagine the grief felt by Breonna Taylor's loved ones and all of those affected by the events of March 13, 2020," Garland said. "Breonna Taylor should be alive today."

Attorney: 'Huge step toward justice'​

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represents Taylor's family, applauded the charges, as well the "tough fight" waged by Taylor's family, attorneys, advocates and community members.

"Today was a huge step toward justice. We are grateful for the diligence and dedication of the FBI and the DOJ as they investigated what led to Breonna's murder and what transpired afterwards. The justice that Breonna received today would not have been possible without the efforts of Attorney General Merrick Garland or Assistant AG for Civil Rights Kristen Clarke," Crump said in a statement. "We hope this announcement of a guilty plea sends a message to all other involved officers that it is time to stop covering up and time to accept responsibility for their roles in causing the death of an innocent, beautiful young Black woman."

Clarke said in a statement, "Since the founding of our nation, the Bill of Rights to the United States Constitution has guaranteed that all people have a right to be secure in their homes, free from false warrants, unreasonable searches and the use of unjustifiable and excessive force by the police. These indictments reflect the Justice Department's commitment to preserving the integrity of the criminal justice system and to protecting the constitutional rights of every American."

In January 2021, the LMPD terminated Jaynes and his colleague Myles Cosgrove. Cosgrove was fired for his use of deadly force in unleashing 16 rounds into Taylor's home and failing to activate his body camera, according to a copy of his termination letter.

Jaynes was fired for "failing to complete a Search Warrant Operations Plan form" and being untruthful about verifying that Taylor's previous boyfriend, Jamarcus Glover, had been receiving packages at Taylor's home, the termination letter said.

Following his termination, Jaynes' attorney, Thomas Clay, said the move was not unexpected and promised to fight to have his client reinstated.
"It's our position that he did nothing wrong in any of the activities relating to this search," Clay told CNN in January 2021.

Cosgrove fired the shot that killed Taylor, Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron has said, adding that the shooting was justified because Taylor's boyfriend fired at officers first. Kenneth Walker II, Taylor's boyfriend, has repeatedly said he thought the officers were intruders and fired one shot when they broke down the door.
Crump co-counsel Lonita Baker took aim at Cameron following Garland's announcement Thursday, saying the attorney general "has no right holding any political offices" representing Kentucky.

"The federal government had the guts to do what Daniel Cameron did not," she said.

A review board upheld Cosgrove's termination last year, and Jaynes lost a similar appeal before the board in June, according to CNN affiliate WDRB.
The Louisville police union said at the time the firings were "unjustified."

"There is certainly no evidence in this case that policies and procedures of the LMPD were violated to the extent that warranted termination," the River City Fraternal Order of Police said in a statement. "Interim Chief (Yvette) Gentry not only made the wrong decision, but also sent an ominous message to every sworn officer of the Louisville Metro Police Department."

Taylor, a 26-year-old emergency room technician, was shot and killed in her apartment during a flawed forced-entry raid in the early hours of March 13, 2020. Her death, along with that of other Black people at the hands of law enforcement -- including George Floyd in Minnesota and Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia -- sparked a summer of protests calling for police reform.

No officer who took part in the raid has previously been charged for Taylor's actual killing.

State prosecutors charged only Hankison in connection with the shooting. The LMPD fired Hankison in June 2020, and in September 2020, a grand jury charged Hankison with three counts of felony wanton endangerment for blindly firing 10 shots into Taylor's home.
A jury acquitted Hankison on all charges in March.
 
https://theblackwallsttimes.com/2022/08/04/four-cops-tied-to-breonna-taylors-death-arrested-by-fbi/
FOUR COPS TIED TO BREONNA TAYLOR’S DEATH ARRESTED BY FBI
by Mike Creef, Staff Writer August 4, 2022

Four current and former Louisville Metro Police Department cops have been arrested and charged by the FBI for their role in the death of Breonna Taylor.


Attorney General Merrick Garland delivered the news at a Department of Justice press conference Thursday morning.


“Earlier today I spoke with the family of Breonna Taylor. This morning they were informed that the Justice Department has charged four current and former Louisville Metro Police Department officers with federal crimes related to Ms. Taylor’s death,” said Garland.



FBI seeks justice for Breonna Taylor​

Those charged include former LMPD officers Joshua Jaynes, Brett Hankison, and Kelly Hanna Goodlett. Current LMPD sergeant Kyle Meany was also arrested Thursday by the feds

The crimes that the four were charged with include civil rights offenses, unlawful conspiracies, unconstitutional use of force, and obstruction offenses.


Jaynes has been accused by the DOJ for falsifying the search warrant that led to Breonna Taylor’s death.


Before today, only one officer had been charged with anything relating to the case. Former officer Brett Hankison was charged with three counts of wanton endangerment for the three bullets he fired that missed Taylor and entered a neighboring apartment that was occupied by a pregnant woman, man, and child.

Despite no officers being held responsible by the state for their role in Breonna Taylor’s death, the city of Louisville paid out a $12 million settlement to her family.


At Thursday’s press conference Garland said the four officers “took steps to cover up their unlawful conduct after Ms. Taylor was killed.”


“We allege that defendants [Joshua] Jaynes and [Kelly Hanna] Goodlett conspired to knowingly falsify an investigative document…those two defendants met in a garage where they agreed to tell investigators a false story,” Garland said.

 
Its laughable that the FBI is investigating the 4 LMPD officers for violating the law?
 
The very same FBI that was involved in charging & convicting Ahmaud Arbery's murderers with federal hate crimes.

Do you always try to deflect to irrelevant crap when you can't answer a simple question?

Should some federal agency investigate crimes committed by law enforcement?
 
The very same FBI that was involved in charging & convicting Ahmaud Arbery's murderers with federal hate crimes.

Do you always try to deflect to irrelevant crap when you can't answer a simple question?

Should some federal agency investigate crimes committed by law enforcement?
You find the slaughter of innocent Americans to be irrelevant crap?

You have a very strange idea of justice, my friend.

The FBI is a shadow of its former self. It has gone from a mostly honorable agency to, to quote Frank Herbert, "A hatchetman for the Imperium. "
 
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You find the slaughter of innocent Americans to be irrelevant crap?

You have a very strange idea of justice, my friend.

The FBI is a shadow of its former self. It has gone from a mostly honorable agency to, to quote Frank Herbert, "A hatchetman for the Imperium. "

I have the strange idea of justice? 🤣

Wasn't Breonna Taylor the slaughter of an innocent Americans?
Seems you're against the FBI investigation & arrest of those responsible for her death
 
I have the strange idea of justice? 🤣

Wasn't Breonna Taylor the slaughter of an innocent Americans?
Seems you're against the FBI investigation & arrest of those responsible for her death
No, I'm suggesting the killing of Ahmaud Arbery was so egregious even the FBI couldn't screw it up.

Since when do you have such faith and respect in law enforcement?
 
No, I'm suggesting the killing of Ahmaud Arbery was so egregious even the FBI couldn't screw it up.

Since when do you have such faith and respect in law enforcement?

So they got it right with Arbery...so you're against them investigating & charging the officers in Taylor's case?

It has been long known the attaining of that warrant was illegal

So what's the problem?
 
So they got it right with Arbery...so you're against them investigating & charging the officers in Taylor's case?

It has been long known the attaining of that warrant was illegal

So what's the problem?
Once again, my point has eluded you.

Breonna Taylor had nothing to do with the investigation. Neither did Kenneth Walker. Yet Walker caught a bullet to the leg and Taylor is extremely dead.

It seems to me this was yet another case of a no knock warrant causing a pointless death, and several officers lying about it.

My beef here is with the FBI.

I'd sooner put my trust in the ACLU or the Southern Poverty Law Center.

My faith in the .FBI in its current incarnation is non existent.
 
I would like to see all the facts here but know some years back this prosecution wouldn't be happening even if it may be justified. We have swung too far the other way now where whether cops get prosecuted in certain towns comes down to what skin color the person is. I will have more to say on this when I read more on it and see if it was actually a criminal scewup with apparent malice involved. Maybe it was.
 
The attaining of the Taylor warrant was MORE egregious than what happened to Arbery

He was killed by a bunch of rednecks...one a former LEO at the time

In Taylor's case...the murder was cleared of illegal practice

If they don't prosecute the illegal attainment of the warrant then the whole incident would be adjudicated as proper

Glad the FBI has arrested these 4 from a notoriously bad police department
 
Jaynes has been accused by the DOJ for falsifying the search warrant that led to Breonna Taylor’s death.

Garland should be investigating his own people for falsifying FISA warrants. Get in line.

If they did falsify the stuff in the warrant that formed the PC they should be charged but like you say its a totally different standard for James Comey and those crooks apparently.
 
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If they did falsify the stuff in the warrant that formed the PC they should be charged but like you say its a totally different standard for James Comey and those crooks apparently.
Garland's already gone after parents and PTA's as domestic terrorists. :oops:

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Jaynes has been accused by the DOJ for falsifying the search warrant that led to Breonna Taylor’s death.

Garland should be investigating his own people for falsifying FISA warrants. Get in line.


https://thehill.com/policy/national...nor-fbi-errors-in-fisa-warrants-court-filing/
Audit found only minor FBI errors in FISA warrants: court filing
BY MARTY JOHNSON - 08/04/20 4:50 PM ET

An internal audit of 29 warrant applications submitted by the FBI to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court found only minor clerical errors in a process that has come under heavy political scrutiny in recent years.

The findings were revealed in a court filing Wednesday and stem from an independent review of the FBI’s application process for surveillance warrants by Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz.

The Justice Department watchdog concluded in a report earlier this year that the FBI had made more than a dozen errors in its applications to look into Carter Page, a foreign policy adviser to President Trump’s 2016 campaign.

According to last week’s court documents, the internal review looked over “hundreds of pages of facts contained in the 29 applications audited by the Office of the Inspector General” and found “only one material misstatement and one material omission.”

“The complete absence in the twenty-nine applications of material errors impacting probable cause should instill confidence in the FBI’s use of its FISA authorities,” FBI Acting General Counsel Dawn Browning said in a sworn statement, referring to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

“The overwhelming majority of factual assertions — approximately 6,568 — were determined not to be erroneous at all, materially or otherwise. Of the errors that were identified, many were minor typographical errors, such as a misspelled word, and date errors,” Browning added.

The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act allows the FBI and the Justice Department to use wiretaps to help gather information deemed vital to national security or for other foreign policy reasons. The agency is required to submit applications to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court in order to execute the warrants. The practice has often been criticized for its use on American citizens, with many seeing it as an infringement of constitutional rights.

The audit did not specify whether the FBI’s Russia investigation, which Trump has repeatedly referred to as a “hoax,” was included in the review.

The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“We remain committed to improving the FISA process,” Justice Department national security head John Demers told CNN in a statement. “The ability to surveil and to investigate using FISA authorities remains critical to confronting current national security threats, including election interference, Chinese espionage and terrorism.”
 
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https://theblackwallsttimes.com/2022/08/04/four-cops-tied-to-breonna-taylors-death-arrested-by-fbi/
FOUR COPS TIED TO BREONNA TAYLOR’S DEATH ARRESTED BY FBI
by Mike Creef, Staff Writer August 4, 2022

Four current and former Louisville Metro Police Department cops have been arrested and charged by the FBI for their role in the death of Breonna Taylor.


Attorney General Merrick Garland delivered the news at a Department of Justice press conference Thursday morning.


“Earlier today I spoke with the family of Breonna Taylor. This morning they were informed that the Justice Department has charged four current and former Louisville Metro Police Department officers with federal crimes related to Ms. Taylor’s death,” said Garland.



FBI seeks justice for Breonna Taylor​

Those charged include former LMPD officers Joshua Jaynes, Brett Hankison, and Kelly Hanna Goodlett. Current LMPD sergeant Kyle Meany was also arrested Thursday by the feds

The crimes that the four were charged with include civil rights offenses, unlawful conspiracies, unconstitutional use of force, and obstruction offenses.


Jaynes has been accused by the DOJ for falsifying the search warrant that led to Breonna Taylor’s death.


Before today, only one officer had been charged with anything relating to the case. Former officer Brett Hankison was charged with three counts of wanton endangerment for the three bullets he fired that missed Taylor and entered a neighboring apartment that was occupied by a pregnant woman, man, and child.

Despite no officers being held responsible by the state for their role in Breonna Taylor’s death, the city of Louisville paid out a $12 million settlement to her family.


At Thursday’s press conference Garland said the four officers “took steps to cover up their unlawful conduct after Ms. Taylor was killed.”


“We allege that defendants [Joshua] Jaynes and [Kelly Hanna] Goodlett conspired to knowingly falsify an investigative document…those two defendants met in a garage where they agreed to tell investigators a false story,” Garland said.

I know a few others that are going to get popped too! MGs got his catfish pliers out and skinning while getting the grease hot buckle up boys
 
https://thehill.com/policy/national...nor-fbi-errors-in-fisa-warrants-court-filing/
Audit found only minor FBI errors in FISA warrants: court filing
BY MARTY JOHNSON - 08/04/20 4:50 PM ET

An internal audit of 29 warrant applications submitted by the FBI to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court found only minor clerical errors in a process that has come under heavy political scrutiny in recent years.

The findings were revealed in a court filing Wednesday and stem from an independent review of the FBI’s application process for surveillance warrants by Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz.

The Justice Department watchdog concluded in a report earlier this year that the FBI had made more than a dozen errors in its applications to look into Carter Page, a foreign policy adviser to President Trump’s 2016 campaign.

According to last week’s court documents, the internal review looked over “hundreds of pages of facts contained in the 29 applications audited by the Office of the Inspector General” and found “only one material misstatement and one material omission.”

“The complete absence in the twenty-nine applications of material errors impacting probable cause should instill confidence in the FBI’s use of its FISA authorities,” FBI Acting General Counsel Dawn Browning said in a sworn statement, referring to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

“The overwhelming majority of factual assertions — approximately 6,568 — were determined not to be erroneous at all, materially or otherwise. Of the errors that were identified, many were minor typographical errors, such as a misspelled word, and date errors,” Browning added.

The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act allows the FBI and the Justice Department to use wiretaps to help gather information deemed vital to national security or for other foreign policy reasons. The agency is required to submit applications to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court in order to execute the warrants. The practice has often been criticized for its use on American citizens, with many seeing it as an infringement of constitutional rights.

The audit did not specify whether the FBI’s Russia investigation, which Trump has repeatedly referred to as a “hoax,” was included in the review.

The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“We remain committed to improving the FISA process,” Justice Department national security head John Demers told CNN in a statement. “The ability to surveil and to investigate using FISA authorities remains critical to confronting current national security threats, including election interference, Chinese espionage and terrorism.”

lol - The PC in all those FISA warrants were never verified so they were all illegal even though the IG tried to claim only the follow up renewal warrants were invalid (code word for illegal). The ones they renewed knowing the stuff that gave the PC was 100% false then.
 
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Federal charges are a complete BS cluster frag….. Breonna was a thug and was holding $8000 of drug money. Her entire family are motorcycle gang members who went on a hunt for those police officers to murder them. Not surprising this progressive socialist hateful human being started this thread …. Not surprising this criminal regime injustice department is pursuing this BS
 
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This means Breonna Taylor's entire family are motorcycle gang members?

https://www.courier-journal.com/sto...s-visit-louisville-support-family/3228892001/
300+ motorcyclists ride to Louisville to support renaming public area after Breonna Taylor
Billy Kobin
Louisville Courier Journal

6ozow3.jpg




What's really no surprise is that you're engaging in blaming the innocent murder victim of a illegal police department operation

LMPD had asked the US mail inspector to confirm or deny that drug packages were being received at Taylor's address. The US mail service said they were not

The cops applied for the warrant by lying about the US mail response.

Whole lotta lying going on by the "law enforcement" officers

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...lice-officers-tied-to-breonna-taylor-shooting
Cops Face Charges Over Faking Warrant in Breonna Taylor Raid
  • Attorney General Garland announces charges from 2020 shooting
  • Taylor’s death fueled movement against police racial bias

The US Justice Department is charging four current and former Louisville police officers in connection to the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman, during the execution of a search warrant in 2020.

Three of the officers were accused of playing a role in securing the warrant to search her home when they knew they didn’t have the evidence to support it and taking steps to cover their tracks later. A fourth officer allegedly fired 10 shots into Taylor’s apartment when there was no justification for using deadly force.

The new federal charges alleged that former Louisville detective Joshua Jaynes sent a draft affidavit to fellow detective Kelly Goodlett claiming he’d confirmed that a person with previous drug-related convictions was receiving packages at Taylor’s address. But according to the government, Jaynes had already told Goodlett there was no evidence of that. Jaynes was also accused of knowingly including other misleading information that tied the target of the drug investigation to Taylor’s address.

Two months after Taylor’s death, Jaynes and Goodlett allegedly arranged to meet in a garage to, in prosecutors’ words, “get on the same page” about the false information after media reports that a postal inspector disputed information about packages going to Taylor’s home. They agreed to tell investigators probing Taylor’s death that a supervisor gave them that information, according to charging papers.

Kyle Meany, a sergeant who approved the search warrant for Taylor’s home, was separately charged with falsely telling the FBI that the warrant had called for a no-knock entry because the police department’s SWAT unit had asked for it. Prosecutors alleged that Meany knew there’d been no such request.



The fourth defendant, Brett Hankison, also a detective at the time, was charged with firing 10 shots into Taylor’s apartment after “there was no longer a lawful objective justifying the use of deadly force.” According to the government’s timeline, Hankison began firing into the apartment after the initial exchange of shots between the man inside Taylor’s home and the two other officers. Hankison fired into a bedroom window and sliding glass door to the living room, both of which were covered by blinds and curtains.

Jaynes and Hankison are no longer employed by the Louisville police department, according to the Justice Department.

The agency filed civil rights charges against Jaynes, Hankison, and Meany, alleging that they deprived Taylor and others in and around the apartment that morning of their constitutional rights, leading to Taylor’s death and putting others at risk of being killed. The charges can carry sentences as high as life in prison. The other charges are also felonies, carrying top prison sentences that range from five to 20 years behind bars.
 
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Breonna Taylor is dead because her cowardly boyfriend used her as a human shield. Her boyfriend shot and hit one of the officers first, causing the other officers to return fire. Case closed.

The Social Justice Warriors at the Biden-Garland DOJ didn't like the outcome of the criminal investigation against the officers involved in this incident, so they want another bite at the apple. Case closed.
 
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Breonna Taylor is dead because her cowardly boyfriend used her as a human shield. Her boyfriend shot and hit one of the officers first, causing the other officers to return fire. Case closed.

That illegal warrant request & the conspiracy to cover it up is what the police officers are charged with

The Social Justice Warriors at the Biden-Garland DOJ didn't like the outcome of the criminal investigation against the officers involved in this incident, so they want another bite at the apple. Case closed.


The FBI investigation was begun over a year ago
 
Whaddya know?

Partial justice only took 2 years...and some federal pressure


https://www.yahoo.com/news/fourth-louisville-police-officer-fired-182210711.html
Fourth Louisville police officer fired in connection to raid on Breonna Taylor's apartment

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — More than two years after the killing of Breonna Taylor, a fourth Louisville Metro Police officer has been fired in connection with the March 2020 raid on her apartment.

Sgt. Kyle Meany, who joined the department in 2013, was terminated after meeting with Chief Erika Shields, the department announced Friday. The termination comes two weeks after Meany and three other former officers were indicted by a federal grand jury on various charges, largely relating to the search warrant that allowed officers to break in to Taylor's apartment.

"I made the decision to terminate Sgt. Kyle Meany after careful consideration and not with ease," Shields said in a statement provided Friday through a police spokeswoman. "I fully respect the judicial process and realize Sgt. Meany has yet to be heard before a jury of his peers. That being said, he is facing multiple federal charges after a lengthy investigation by the DOJ. As an employer, the character of our organization is paramount and it is not reasonable to expect continued employment under such conditions."

Meany is accused of knowing the affidavit used to obtain the warrant was based on false information. His attorney, Brian Butler, said he is "not going to comment on any aspect of this case."

"Your actions have brought discredit upon yourself and the department," Shields wrote in a letter to Meany to begin the termination process last week. The letter cited his federal case as grounds for dismissal for violating police policy.

"Your conduct has adversely affected the morale, operations and/or efficiency of the department," Shields also wrote, using standard language sometimes used in termination letters for other personnel. "... Your conduct has severely damaged the image of our department within the community."

Meany can appeal his termination to the Police Merit Board, which has a track record of rarely overturning firing decisions.

Meany supervised the since-disbanded Place-Based Investigations unit, which had secured the warrant for Taylor's home along with four others as part of a larger narcotics investigation. Each warrant included "no-knock" clauses.

Meany has pleaded not guilty after being indicted on federal charges of deprivation of rights and giving a false statement to federal investigators.

The indictment alleges that Meany knew the affidavit used to get a warrant to search Taylor's home included false, misleading and out-of-date information. He approved the warrant despite this knowledge and despite knowing the warrant would be executed by other officers, creating a dangerous situation, the indictment says.

His second charge of providing false information is related to the entry of Taylor's home. Meany allegedly told FBI investigators that the police department's SWAT unit had asked for no-knock authority, when no such request had been made.


After the federal indictments, Louisville police announced the department had started the termination process for Meany and Detective Kelly Ann Goodlett, who retired the following day.

Meany is the fourth officer to be fired in relation to Taylor's case.

Which Louisville officers have been fired after Breonna Taylor's killing?​

Former Detective Brett Hankison was the first to be fired by the department in June 2020. He had worked for the department for about 17 years when he shot 10 rounds into Taylor's apartment through a covered glass door and window during the raid.

Three of those rounds traveled into an adjacent apartment with a man, pregnant woman and 5-year-old child inside, and he was subsequently charged with three counts of wanton endangerment by a state grand jury.

He was ultimately found not guilty in March, but is now facing federal charges. Meanwhile, he was fired after a former interim chief called the rounds he shot "a shock to the conscience." He appealed his firing to the Police Merit Board, but the appeal hearing was set aside until criminal proceedings concluded.

Hankison shot into the neighboring apartment, "without a lawful objective justifying the use of deadly force," said Kristin Clarke, assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division, said during a news conference last week alongside U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland in Washington, D.C.

Latest charges in Breonna Taylor case:Experts predict who has the edge - the feds or the indicted officers

In January 2021, two more officers were fired.

Myles Cosgrove was fired by former interim Chief Yvette Gentry for failing to "properly identify a target" when he shot 16 times into Taylor's apartment. He also failed to use a body camera during the raid. He has filed a lawsuit appealing his termination.

He has not been charged criminally in relation to the case. Taylor was shot six times during the raid and Cosgrove fired the fatal bullet to her chest, according to Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron's investigation.

Former Detective Joshua Jaynes also was fired in January 2021 for inserting what Gentry found to be an untruthful statement in his sworn affidavit for the warrant to search Taylor's apartment.

The federal charges against him include deprivation of rights, conspiracy and falsification of records in an FBI investigation.

The indictment accuses Jayne of depriving Taylor of her constitutional rights by knowingly including false, misleading and out-of-date information in the affidavit used to obtain the warrant to search her home. Additionally, the affidavit in support of the search warrant omitted material information, and officers lacked probable cause for the search, according to the indictment.

The indictment alleges that after the raid, he continued his attempts to cover up his lies by conspiring with another detective and pressuring other officers to support his story.

His third federal charge is that he continued reiterating this false information in an official investigative letter given to investigators on May 1, 2020.
 
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