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https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/justice-deparment-breonna-taylor-1.6541043
Former Louisville detective Joshua Jaynes and current Sgt. Kyle Meany were charged with civil rights violations and obstruction of justice for using false information to obtain the search warrant, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said. Current Det. Kelly Goodlett was charged with conspiring with Jaynes to falsify the warrant and then cover up the falsification.
A fourth officer, former detective Brett Hankison, was charged with civil rights violations for allegedly using excessive force, Garland said.
Garland alleged that in May 2020, Jaynes and Goodlett "met in a garage, where they agreed to tell investigators a false story" concerning the deadly raid.
Meany is also accused of lying to the FBI in an interview about the incident.
Louisville police on Thursday began the process of firing Meany and Goodlett, the department said in a statement. Hankison and Jaynes were previously fired by the department.
Hankison was one of the officers at Taylor's door and one of three who fired shots that night. He is now accused by the Justice Department of using "constitutionally excessive force" in the raid.
Hankison, prosecutors said, moved away from the door, firing 10 shots into Taylor's apartment through a window and a glass door that were covered by blinds and curtains.
Hankison told a Kentucky grand jury that he opened fire once the shooting started. As he saw flashes light up the room, he said he mistakenly believed one of the occupants was firing an assault-style rifle at his colleagues.
A jury acquitted him of state charges of wanton endangerment earlier this year in Louisville. The lawyer representing Hankison in his previous trial said he planned to surrender to the FBI on the new charge Thursday, but that he would likely contest the charge.
Jaynes, who applied for the warrant to search Taylor's house, was fired in January 2021 by former Louisville Police interim chief Yvette Gentry for violating department standards in the preparation of a search warrant execution and for being "untruthful" in the Taylor warrant.
Justice Department officials said Thursday that a broader investigation into whether the Louisville Police Department engages in a so-called "pattern or practice" of violations of law is ongoing.
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