US charges 4 police officers in Breonna Taylor’s death
- The black woman’s fatal shooting, along with George Floyd’s killing, contributed to racial justice protests that rocked the US in 2020
- Taylor was shot multiple times by officers who knocked down her door while executing a search warrant based on ‘false, misleading and out of date’ information
The US Justice Department announced civil rights charges on Thursday against four Louisville police officers over the drug raid that led to the death of Breonna Taylor, a black woman whose fatal shooting contributed to the racial justice protests that rocked the US in the spring and summer of 2020.
The charges are another effort to hold law enforcement accountable for the killing of the 26-year-old medical worker after one of the officers was acquitted of state charges earlier this year.
Federal officials “share but cannot fully imagine the grief” felt by Taylor’s family, US Attorney General Merrick Garland said in announcing the charges.
“Breonna Taylor should be alive today,” he said. The charges range from unlawful conspiracies, use of force and obstruction of justice, Garland said.
The charges are against former officers Joshua Jaynes and Brett Hankison, along with current officers Kelly Goodlett and Sergeant Kyle Meany. Louisville police said Thursday they are beginning termination procedures for Goodlett and Meany.
