A federal judge has cleared two former Louisville police officers of felony charges related to Breonna Taylor's death, placing the blame instead on her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, who fired at officers during the fatal raid.
A federal judge has dismissed felony charges against two former Louisville police officers in connection with the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman, in 2020.
Charges Dropped Against Louisville Officers in Breonna Taylor Case; Judge Cites Boyfriend's Actions
U.S. District Judge Charles Simpson dropped the "deprivation of rights under the color of law" charges against former Louisville Police Detective Joshua Jaynes and former Sgt. Kyle Meany in an order issued on Thursday.
The decision stems from a raid on Taylor's apartment in March 2020, which was carried out by officers executing a no-knock drug warrant. Walker fired a shot at the officers, striking former Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly in the leg, and the officers returned fire, killing Taylor in her hallway.
Charges Dropped Against Louisville Officers in Breonna Taylor Case; Judge Cites Boyfriend's Actions
Simpson ruled that Walker's actions, not the flawed warrant, were the legal cause of Taylor's death.
"The court finds that the actions of Kenneth Walker were the legal cause of Breonna Taylor's death," Simpson wrote in the ruling. "There is no direct link between the warrantless entry and Taylor's death."
Charges Dropped Against Louisville Officers in Breonna Taylor Case; Judge Cites Boyfriend's Actions
The Justice Department had charged Jaynes and Meany with falsifying a warrant and putting Taylor in a dangerous situation by sending armed officers to her door. However, Simpson ruled that the officers did not directly cause Taylor's death.
"While the indictment alleges that Jaynes and Meany set off a series of events that ended in Taylor’s death, it also alleges that (Walker) disrupted those events when he decided to open fire" on the police, Simpson wrote.
Charges Dropped Against Louisville Officers in Breonna Taylor Case; Judge Cites Boyfriend's Actions
The ruling effectively reduces the civil rights violation charges against Jaynes and Meany to misdemeanors, which carry a maximum sentence of one year in prison.
Kenneth Walker's attorney, Steve Romines, said that his client is "disappointed" by the ruling but respects the judge's decision.
"The fact of the matter is, Breonna Taylor was shot and killed by police, and her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, never would have fired a shot that night if police had not been there unlawfully," Romines said in a statement.
Taylor's family expressed devastation and disappointment over the ruling.
"We are very pleased by the court’s ruling," Meany’s attorney, Brian Butler, told the Louisville Courier Journal.
Jaynes' attorney, Thomas Clay, said that they are assessing next steps and will continue to fight for justice for Taylor.
The Justice Department said in an email to The Associated Press that it "is reviewing the judge’s decision and assessing next steps."
A third former officer, Kelly Goodlett, pleaded guilty in 2022 to a conspiracy charge and is expected to testify against Jaynes and Meany at their trials.
A fourth former officer, Brett Hankison, is facing federal charges of endangering the lives of Taylor, Walker, and some of her neighbors when he fired into Taylor's windows. A federal trial on alleged civil rights violations ended in a hung jury, and Hankison is scheduled to be retried in October.
