Four Louisville police officers have been charged in connection with the raid that killed Breonna Taylor, 26, in her apartment on March 13, 2020. 

Taylor was killed in her home in Louisville, Kentucky, by plainclothes police who were executing a “no-knock” search warrant.

Ex-LPMD detectives Joshua Jaynes, Kelly Hanna Goodlett and Brett Hankison are facing federal civil rights charges. LMPD Sergeant Kyle Meany is also facing charges but is still employed by the department.

The charges were announced by Attorney General Merrick Garland and Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke, and include violating Taylor’s civil rights, unlawful conspiracies, unconstitutional use of force, and obstruction offenses. 

The Justice Department claims that information on the search warrant that was used to enter Taylor’s home was falsified by Officer Jaynes, the leading investigator in the case. Attorney General Garland said that this violated her fourth amendment rights, which resulted in her death, with Jaynes and Goodlett  ‘knowingly falsifying’ a document created after her death. 

Until these charges were announced, Hankison was the only officer charged in relation to Taylor’s death. He had fired shots through her window and sliding glass door. He was previously found not guilty in March of wanton endangerment for firing shots into a neighboring apartment. 

During the confrontation,Taylor’s boyfriend Kenneth Walker fired back and hit an officer in the leg. 

That prompted police to open fire, and hit Taylor six times, killing her. 

Hankison will now face further charges for using excessive force in the incident.

The counts against Hankison allege that he used a dangerous weapon with the intention to kill. 

Sergeant Kyle Meaney reportedly “lied to the FBI” during its investigation of Taylors death, and has also been charged. 

The DOJ states that the officers knew that the falsified warrant would be used by armed Louisville officers to enter Taylor’s home, and that it would create a “dangerous situation.”

Garland said, “Breonna Taylor should be alive today. The Justice Department is committed to defending and protecting the civil rights of every person in this country.”

In a statement, Taylor’s family and lawyers said, “These nearly two and a half years have been extremely difficult for Tamika, Juniyah, and their family as they’ve endlessly fought for justice on behalf of Breonna.”

“Likewise, it has been a tough fight for the attorneys, advocates and community members who have rallied to support Breonna’s family in their quest for justice.”

“Today was a huge step toward justice. We are grateful for the diligence and dedication of the FBI and the DOJ as they investigated what led to Breonna’s murder and what transpired afterwards.”

“The justice that Breonna received today would not have been possible without the efforts of Attorney General Merrick Garland or Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Kristen Clarke.”

“We hope this announcement of a guilty plea sends a message to all other involved officers that it is time to stop covering up and time to accept responsibility for their roles in causing the death of an innocent, beautiful young Black woman.”