Joshua Janes was taken into custody Thursday morning by the FBI and is being held at the Oldham County Detention Center, according to attorney Thomas Clay, who is representing Janes. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Jaynes, former officer Brett Hankison, Sgt. Kyle Meany and Officer Kelly Hanna Goodlett are the four defendants facing new federal charges in connection with the investigation that led to the March 13, 2020, death of Taylor, a 26-year-old black woman and emergency room technician whose name was a rallying cry. for protesters across the country during the 2020 protests against police brutality and systemic racism. LMPD said in a statement after the DOJ’s announcement that Chief Erika Shields began termination proceedings Thursday against Meany and Goodlett. “While we must refer all questions regarding this federal investigation to the FBI, it is important that any illegal or inappropriate actions by law enforcement be addressed in order to continue our efforts to build trust between police and the community,” he said. the ministry in a statement. . One of the new indictments announced by the Justice Department on Thursday relates to the false actions taken by Haynes, Meany and Goodlett to obtain a search warrant for Taylor’s apartment. In a separate indictment, Hankison is accused of using “unconstitutionally excessive force in the raid on Ms. Taylor’s home” for firing 10 shots into an occupied, neighboring apartment “without a legitimate objective justifying the use of deadly force,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke for the Department of Civil Rights announced during a press conference Thursday morning with Garland in Washington, DC Hankison was acquitted by a Jefferson County jury earlier this year of state reckless endangerment charges related to the shootings at the apartment, which came close but did not injure any of Taylor’s neighbors. It was not immediately clear if all the officers, except Jaynes, had attorneys available to comment on their behalf. An attorney who represented Hankison during his state case, Stew Matthews, said he was not yet sure whether he would represent Hankison in the new federal case. There is no bail in the federal system, with court dates not yet available in electronic records. “Breonna Taylor should be alive today,” Garland said during a news conference at Justice Department headquarters. FACT CHECK 2.0: Separating the truth from the lies in the police shooting of Breonna Taylor Breonna Taylor case: Jefferson Circuit Court judge upholds former detective’s firing Nationally known civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represented Taylor’s family along with local attorneys Lonita Baker and Sam Aguiar, said after Thursday’s announcement that it was “a great day to catch Breonna Taylor’s killers.” . “Thank God Attorney General Daniel Cameron didn’t get the last word in Brenna Taylor’s death,” Crump added during a news conference in Jefferson Square Park, the center of the 2020 protests over Taylor’s murder. Cameron, Kentucky’s Republican attorney general, drew the ire of protesters and Taylor’s family in 2020 after announcing that only Hankison and no other LMPD personnel would face state charges in the case. “Today was a huge step toward justice,” Crump, Baker and Aguiar said in a joint statement. “We are grateful for the diligence and dedication of the FBI and DOJ as they investigated what led to Breonna’s murder and what happened next. The justice Breonna received today would not have been possible without the efforts of Attorney General Merrick Garland or Assistant AG for Civil Rights Kristen Clarke. “We hope this announcement of the guilty plea sends a message to all the other officers involved that it is time to stop hiding and accept responsibility for their roles in causing the death of an innocent, beautiful young black woman.” During Thursday’s announcement, Garland said the federal charges focus on the conduct of LMPD’s investigative unit, which attorneys for Taylor’s family described in a 2020 lawsuit as a “rogue” group that targeted people and drugs in the West Louisville End. The PBI Unit served five search warrants related to suspected drug trafficking in 2020, four of which were served at properties in the West End and one at Taylor’s apartment that was about 10 miles away from the others on Springfield Drive in the South End. Jaynes, Meany and Goodlett were involved in the warrant for Taylor’s home, DOJ officials said. Garland said the Justice Department alleges members of the PBI Unit “falsified the affidavit used to obtain the search warrant for Ms. Taylor’s home,” which violated federal civil rights laws and “resulted in her death of Ms. Taylor.” Breonna Taylor Research: A look back at key moments, 2 years on Two years later, look back at the key events surrounding Breonna Taylor’s shooting death and the actions leaders took to improve Louisville. Jeff Faughender, Louisville Courier Journal Jaynes, Meany and Goodlett sought the warrant for Taylor’s home “knowing that the officers did not have probable cause to search,” Garland said, and they knew that the affidavit in support of the warrant “contained false and misleading information and that it omitted material information. “ Garland then described several details that had previously come to light when Jaynes was fired last year, namely that in the affidavit, which he swore before a judge, Jaynes wrote that he had verified through a U.S. Postal Inspector that Taylor’s ex-boyfriend, Jamarcus Glover, suspected of drug trafficking, was delivering packages to her apartment. But Jaynes had actually spoken to another officer, Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly, who had received information from the Sively Police, not the postal inspector. According to Shively officers, postal inspectors said there were no packages. Police found no drugs or cash in Taylor’s apartment after the fatal shooting. The new allegations Garland announced Thursday include that Jaynes and Goodlett met in a garage in May 2020 and “knowingly conspired to falsify an investigative document” and “conspired to mislead federal, state and local authorities.” who were investigating the shooting. Mattingly was shot during the raid by Taylor’s friend Kenneth Walker, who legally had his gun and said he thought intruders were breaking into the apartment. Two other officers who fired their weapons during the raid — Miles Cosgrove, who shot Taylor, and Hankison — were also previously fired by LMPD for their actions, while Mattingly was fired from the department but resigned from the Department. “The officers who ultimately conducted the search of this part of Taylor were not involved in the writing of the warrant and were unaware of the false and misleading statements it contained,” Garland noted Thursday. Louisville Mayor Greg Fisher said in a statement Thursday that the charges “represent a critical step forward in the process of achieving justice for Breona Taylor.” “My thoughts are with Mrs. Tamika Palmer, Breonna’s mother, and all those who loved and cared for Breonna,” Fischer said. “While we cannot reverse her tragic death, we can and must continue to pursue justice for her. I deeply appreciate the hard work of the federal government in tirelessly pursuing this case. And, while I know some may feel that this process has also taken the long term, as I have said from the beginning, there can be no shortcuts to due process, no shortcuts to justice.” “Today is an important day in this process and in the journey to justice,” added Fischer, a Democrat. “And, I pledge to my city that my administration will continue to be unwavering in our work to pursue this justice and create a more just, safe and compassionate city for all Louisville residents.” More: What to know about 7 Louisville metro police cases the FBI is investigating for misconduct Earlier this year, a jury found Hankison not guilty of reckless endangerment charges related to bullets he fired into an occupied, neighboring apartment during the raid on Taylor’s apartment. He was the only officer charged at the state level in connection with the case. The FBI has been investigating Taylor’s death since May 2020, when it opened a “color of law” case that focuses on allegations of police officers or other officials using their authority improperly, including excessive force, false arrest or obstruction of justice . Last year, the Justice Department also opened a “patterns and practices” investigation into the LMPD and Louisville metro government. The charges announced Thursday against the four defendants are separate from the ongoing investigation into the “schemes and practices,” according to the DOJ. Garland said last year that the investigation would focus on several areas, including whether the department:
Use of gratuitous violence, including during peaceful demonstrations. Engaged in unconstitutional stops, searches, and seizures, including illegal search warrants on private residences; People were discriminated against on the basis of race. and Failed to provide public services under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The Department of Justice, as part of its investigation, also completed a comprehensive review of LMPD policies and training, along with an evaluation of the effectiveness of its officer supervision and accountability system, including misconduct investigations. This story has been updated. Contact Billy Kobin at [email protected]
