Louisville PD Will Fire Two More Officers Involved in Breonna Taylor Incident
Two police officers who played vital parts in the raid that led to the death of Breonna Taylor are set to be fired by the Louisville Metro Police Department.
Officer Myles Cosgrove and Detective Joshua Jaynes were notified of their pending termination Tuesday, ABC News reported, citing their attorneys.
A hearing will be held Thursday before interim Police Chief Yvette Gentry.
Jaynes was not part of the raid in which Taylor was killed, but prepared the “no-knock” warrant that sent officers to Taylor’s apartment in search of Jamarcus Glover, her former boyfriend and an alleged drug trafficker. But police did not find Glover, and Kenneth Walker, Taylor’s then-current boyfriend, responded with gunfire when officers arrived on March 13.
BREAKING NOW: LMPD is planning to fire Det. Joshua Jaynes – the officer who obtained the search warrant for #BreonnaTaylor‘s home. His lawyer confirmed to @WHAS11 a pre-termination notice. pic.twitter.com/yWCFGaoJF5
— Senait Gebregiorgis (@SenaitTV) December 29, 2020
Taylor was shot and killed by police when they returned fire. Cosgrove has been named as the officer who fired the fatal shot.
Jaynes had been on administrative reassignment since June due to questions over the warrant.
“We plan to attend the pre-termination hearing on December 31st, although I expect the result has already been pre-determined,” Thomas Clay, Jaynes’ lawyer, said in a statement to ABC.
“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.”
The termination letter sent to Jaynes by Gentry said Jaynes committed “extreme violations of our policies, which endangered others.”
“Your actions have brought discredit upon yourself and the Department,” Gentry wrote. “Your conduct has severely damaged the image our Department has established within our community.”
Gentry accused Jaynes of lying twice when he swore out the warrant for the raid, including in a comment claiming that Glover had been receiving parcels at Taylor’s apartment.
“It is clear from this review there should have been better controls, supervision and scrutiny over this operation prior to the warrant being signed and executed,” Gentry wrote. “Because the operations plan was not completed properly a very dangerous situation was created for all parties involved.
“You were the officer who conducted the majority of the investigation; however, neither you, your direct supervisor, or his lieutenant were present or available at the scene when the search warrant was executed,” she added.
Gentry emailed her department’s officers Tuesday and told them she “had to make some tough decisions,” the Louisville Courier Journal reported.
“I believe my decisions have placed the responsibility for the actions taken in this case upon the shoulders of the people … responsible,” she wrote. “To this point, every officer on this department has unequally borne the burden of decisions that you all did not make and had to work under conditions you did not create.”
The department’s internal investigation into the raid is “nearly completed,” added Gentry, who said she wanted to give affected staff time to be personally notified.
“Bringing closure to this case is important not only for the families impacted but for all of you to stop working under the cloud of suspicion,” Gentry wrote. “Please continue to work hard, stay safe and know that I support you in your efforts to make this city a better place.”
In June, Detective Brett Hankison was fired. Hankison also faces charges of wanton endangerment for firing bullets into a neighboring apartment. He is the only officer to face any criminal charges in connection with the raid.
Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly, who fired into the apartment on the night of the raid, remains with the department. He was shot in the leg during the incident.
Louisville’s River City Fraternal Order of Police issued a statement in response to the planned firings.
“The FOP is aware that two of our members received pre-termination opportunity to respond notices today, outlining the chief’s current intent to terminate their employment. In the near future both members will have an opportunity to have a hearing before the chief of police and respond to the information contained in the notices. After those hearings, when the chief makes her final determinations, our members have the right to appeal any discipline that may be issued,” the statement said.
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