‘She Was Killed Because of Their Negligence’: Mother Blasts DOJ Bid to Drop Charges Against Officers in Breonna Taylor Case

Six years after Breonna Taylor’s death in a police encounter, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has asked a federal judge to dismiss charges against two officers connected to the incident. Louisville officers Joshua Jaynes and Kyle Meany were accused of falsifying information on a search warrant that enabled police to forcibly enter Taylor’s apartment, ultimately leading to her death.

The victim’s mother, Tamika Palmer, has now reacted to the development and expressed disappointment over the DOJ’s request. "She was killed because of their lies and negligence, and somebody should be held accountable for that,” Palmer said in a statement to ABC News.

Talking about how the tragedy has given her lifelong trauma, the mother stated, “Breonna doesn't get to come back. She doesn't get to put it behind her. There's no putting it behind me.”

The incident took place on March 13, 2020, when Louisville police officers entered Taylor’s apartment with a no-knock warrant, hoping to find her ex-boyfriend, who was accused of possessing drugs.

However, the suspect was not at the apartment. Instead, Taylor lived there with her current boyfriend, Kenneth Walker. As the plainclothes officers broke down the apartment door, Walker thought an intruder had entered their home and fired a gunshot with a legal firearm. The bullet hit one of the officers in the leg.

In retaliation, police fired multiple shots, leading to Taylor’s death. The victim was 26 years old at the time and worked as an ER technician. The incident sparked nationwide backlash against police brutality and racism, especially because Taylor was Black. Notably, drugs were not found in the apartment during the raid. Louisville later paid $12 million to Taylor’s family in a wrongful death settlement.

Former Louisville police officer Brett Hankison, who had blindly fired 10 shots into the apartment, was eventually sentenced to 33 months in prison. Myles Cosgrove, the officer who fired the fatal shot, did not face any charges because investigators determined his use of force was justified because he was only returning fire.

Meanwhile, Jaynes and Meany faced felony charges of drafting and approving a falsified warrant that led to the raid. The charges were later reduced to misdemeanors. On March 20, federal prosecutors moved to dismiss all the remaining charges against the two, citing that Taylor’s death was legally caused by her boyfriend’s shot, rather than the falsified warrant itself.

A judge has yet to rule on the request, with a hearing set for April 3. Jaynes and Meany’s attorneys have welcomed the DOJ’s decision. Jaynes’s lawyer, Travis Lock, said he is elated with the development.

Meany’s attorney, Michael Denbow, stated, “[We are] incredibly grateful for today’s filing. [Meany] is looking forward to putting this matter behind him and moving forward with his life.” On the other hand, Taylor’s family lawyers have criticized the move and said, “Breonna Taylor always deserved more than the scraps of justice she got. Now, even those may be further stripped away.”