Four US police officers charged for death of Breonna Taylor

• Her death provoked nationwide protests against racial injustice.
• Four police officers have now been charged with falsifying a search warrant.
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• They are accused of civil rights violations, illegal conspiracy, unconstitutional use of force, and obstruction.

Four US police officers have been arrested and charged in connection with the deadly shooting of Breonna Taylor in 2020.

Plainclothes officers executing a “no-knock” search warrant killed Ms Taylor in her home in Louisville, Kentucky.

Officers invaded the flat shortly after midnight as the hospital worker, 26, was in bed with her boyfriend.

Her death provoked nationwide protests against racial injustice.

Only one officer engaged in the raid had previously been charged in the case: former Louisville detective Brett Hankinson.

However, Mr Hankinson, who fired ten shots during the event, was acquitted earlier this year by a jury. He is one of four people facing new accusations brought by the US Department of Justice.

The others are former officer Joshua Jaynes and current cops Kelly Hanna Goodlett and Kyle Meany.

On Thursday, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the fresh charges. He stated that the police were charged with civil rights violations, illegal conspiracy, unconstitutional use of force, and obstruction.

Mr Garland went on to say that three of the policemen, all but Mr Hankinson, had been charged with falsifying a search warrant.

Mr Hankinson is accused of employing excessive force during the raid by opening fire.

Ms Taylor’s name and address were included in the search warrant acquired by police. Authorities suspected her ex-boyfriend, Jamarcus Glover, was involved in a drug ring and had hidden drugs in her residence.

Although no narcotics were discovered on the site, Jefferson County Prosecutor Thomas Wine stated that the search was cancelled following the incident.

The Taylor family sued Louisville police in 2020 and received a $12 million (£9 million) settlement.

Her killing, coupled with the deaths of two other black men, George Floyd in Minnesota and Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia, triggered anti-racism protests across the United States and around the world.

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