US police charged over shooting death

• Four US police officers have been detained and charged in connection with her death.
• Civil rights violations, illegal conspiracy, unlawful use of force, and obstruction are charges against them.

Four US police officers have been detained and charged in connection with Breonna Taylor’s deadly shooting in 2020.

In Louisville, Kentucky, Ms. Taylor was slain in her home by plainclothes officers carrying out a “no-knock” search warrant.

The 26-year-old hospital employee was with her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, when police invaded the residence shortly after midnight and shot her.

Racial injustice protests spread across the nation after her death.

Former Louisville detective Brett Hankinson was the only officer engaged in the raid who had previously faced charges.

But a jury earlier this year found Mr. Hankinson not guilty despite the fact that he fired 10 shots during the encounter. He is one of the four individuals who will be charged with new crimes by the US Department of Justice.

The other two are currently employed cops Kelly Hanna Goodlett and Kyle Meany, as well as retired officer Joshua Jaynes.

The fresh accusations were made public by Attorney General Merrick Garland. He stated that civil rights violations, illegal conspiracy, unlawful use of force, and obstruction were all charges against the cops.

Three of the policemen, all but Mr. Hankinson, were charged with forging a search warrant, Mr. Garland continued.

When Mr. Hankinson fired during the raid, he is accused of employing excessive force.

Breonna Taylor ought to be alive right now, Mr. Garland told the media.

The name and address of Ms. Taylor were on the search warrant that the police had received. Authorities believed that Jamarcus Glover, an ex-boyfriend, was a member of a drug ring and had used her flat to conceal drugs.

Despite Jefferson County Prosecutor Thomas Wine’s claim that the search had been suspended following the shooting, no drugs were discovered on the premises.

The Taylor family sued the Louisville police in 2020, and they settled for $12 million (£9 million).

The family’s attorneys responded to the Thursday announcement of the fresh accusations by saying: “Today was a tremendous step toward justice.”

During the raid, Kenneth Walker shot one of the police officers in the leg after mistaking him for an intruder.

Although he was accused of trying to kill someone, the case was dropped.
Along with the deaths of two other black males, George Floyd in Minnesota and Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia, Ms. Taylor’s killing provoked anti-racism demonstrations both domestically and internationally.

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