Two Louisville police officers fired for roles in Breonna Taylor shooting

Posted By: Staff
January 6, 2021 @ 11:56 am
ABC National

Stephen Zenner/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Stephen Zenner/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty ImagesBy EMILY SHAPIRO, ABC News

(LOUISVILLE, Ky.) — Two Louisville police officers have been fired from the department for their roles in the shooting death of Breonna Taylor.

The terminations of Myles Cosgrove and Det. Joshua Jaynes were announced Tuesday in letters from interim Police Chief Yvette Gentry, who held closed-door hearings with the officers and their attorneys on Monday.

Cosgrove, who fired the shot that killed Taylor per a ballistics analysis, and Jaynes, who prepared the search warrant, received pre-termination letters last week.

Cosgrove didn’t “identify a specific target” when he fired off the shot, Gentry wrote in the pre-termination letter, according to The Louisville Courier-Journal.

Jaynes wasn’t at the shooting but prepared the search warrant for Taylor’s apartment. His wording in the warrant affidavit was “misleading,” investigators said, and Gentry said Jaynes lied twice in the warrant, which is under oath to the court,according to The Courier-Journal.

Jaynes’ lawyer, Thomas Clay, said via email on Dec. 29, “I fully expect Mr. Jaynes will be terminated after the ‘hearing’ no matter what the evidence is to the contrary. We will appeal any disciplinary action taken against Mr. Jaynes because I believe the evidence shows he did nothing wrong.”

Cosgrove’s attorney, Jarrod Beck, said Dec. 29, “I can confirm that Mr. Cosgrove has received a pre-termination notice. Otherwise, we have no comment.”

The officers have the right to appeal, the Fraternal Order of Police said.

Cosgrove and Jaynes had been on administrative reassignment following the March 13 shooting that killed the 26-year-old emergency room technician.

Taylor was shot after officers arrived at her door in the middle of the night trying to execute a “no-knock” warrant as part of an investigation into a suspected drug operation allegedly linked to her ex-boyfriend.

Taylor’s boyfriend, who said he thought intruders were trying to break in, fired a shot. The officers returned fire, fatally shooting Taylor.

One officer, Brett Hankison, was fired and the others were placed on administrative duty. Initially no charges were brought against the officers, igniting protests across the country.

Kentucky State Attorney General Daniel Cameron said the officers were justified in their use of deadly force because Walker fired the first shot.

Months later, Cameron convened a grand jury that indicted Hankison on three counts of first-degree wanton endangerment for firing into the apartment directly behind Taylor’s, where three people were inside. Hankison pleaded not guilty.

Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly, who also fired into Taylor’s home, has not been dismissed by the department. Mattingly was shot in the leg during the raid.

None of the officers were charged in connection with Taylor’s death.