Aisha TukurA federal judge on Thursday dismissed felony charges against two former Louisville Metro Police officers stemming from the 2020 death of Breonna Taylor. The judge ruled that Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, firing at the officers was the primary cause of her death, not the officers’ actions.
Two former Louisville Metro Police officers, Joshua Jaynes and Kyle Meany, saw a significant reduction in federal charges against them related to the 2020 raid that resulted in the death of Breonna Taylor. According to a report by the Courier-Journal, on Thursday, U.S. District Court Senior Judge Charles Simpson III dismissed felony charges of deprivation of rights under the color of law, which initially carried a potential life sentence. With these charges dropped, the maximum penalty they now face is one year in prison.
The officers were originally charged in August 2022 for allegedly using false information to secure a search warrant for Taylor’s apartment. Prosecutors had argued that the warrant affidavit, prepared and approved by Jaynes and Meany, contained misleading information, omitted critical facts, and lacked probable cause.
The judge’s decision centered on the actions of Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, who fired at police officers when they entered her apartment during the raid. Simpson ruled that Walker’s decision to shoot at the officers, believing them to be intruders, was a “superseding cause” that legally absolved the officers from criminal responsibility for Taylor’s death. The judge emphasized that the officers’ return fire was for self-protection, not to facilitate the search.
Jaynes remains charged with conspiracy and falsifying documents to mislead investigators, while Meany faces charges of making false statements to the FBI. Both officers were previously dismissed from LMPD, with Jaynes being fired in January 2021 for violating department policies, and Meany being terminated in August 2022 following his federal indictment.
Louisville lawyer Thomas Clay, representing Jaynes, expressed satisfaction with the court’s decision, noting that it shifts the burden onto federal prosecutors as they determine how to proceed. Similarly, Brian Butler, Meany’s attorney, stated they were “very pleased” with the ruling.
The case is part of a broader federal investigation into the actions surrounding the Breonna Taylor raid. Another officer, Kelly Goodlett, has pleaded guilty to lying on the warrant but has yet to be sentenced. Meanwhile, former officer Brett Hankison, who fired multiple shots during the raid, faces a retrial after a jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict in his case last year.
The ruling marks a significant development in the ongoing legal proceedings related to the tragic events of March 13th, 2020, when Breonna Taylor was killed during a police raid on her apartment.
