[ad_1]
A Kentucky judge has ruled that Breonna Taylor's boyfriend's decision to shoot was the legal reason police officers shot and killed her. federal charges dropped against two officers who allegedly forged a drug warrant that led to police breaking down her door and killing her in 2020.
In a decision issued Thursday, U.S. District Judge Charles R. Simpson III dismissed deprivation of rights charges by former Louisville police detective Joshua Jaynes, who was accused of knowingly writing a false search warrant for Taylor's home, and former sergeant Kyle Meaney, who approved the search warrant.
On March 13, 2020, three Louisville plainclothes police officers—Brett Hankison, John Mattingly, and Myles Cosgrove—executed a search warrant on Taylor’s home. Taylor’s friend, Kenneth Walker, who was awakened by banging on the door, said he assumed it was a break-in and fired a shot into the darkness, striking Mattingly. The officers fired 32 shots in return, killing Taylor.
The judge ruled that there was “no direct connection between the unauthorized entry and Taylor's death,” and wrote that Gaines and Meaney did not participate in the raid on Taylor's home. Instead, he wrote that Walker's decision to shoot was the legal cause of Taylor's death.
US Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Federal charges Against Gaines, Minnie and two other officers in 2022.
Simpson's ruling Thursday means that Gaines and Meany, who could have faced life in prison had they been convicted of the felony charges, now face misdemeanor charges of concealing a false search warrant and lying to investigators. Both men have pleaded not guilty to all charges.
No objective account of the chaos that ensued during Taylor’s fatal shooting has yet been provided. Her family has long disputed police accounts of what happened at her home that night, and officers who executed the arrest warrant have made false confessions. Different versions of eventsNone of the officers used body cameras during the operation.
Taylor's family said in statement The Associated Press reported that prosecutors told them they plan to appeal Simpson's sentence.
“Obviously we are very sad right now because of the judge’s ruling that we disagree with and we are just trying to process everything,” they said. “The only thing we can do at this point is continue to be patient. … We will continue to fight until we get full justice for Breonna Taylor.”
This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
[ad_2]
Source