Justice for Breonna Taylor: Four Officers Face New Charges in Her Death
On March 13, 2020, Breonna Taylor was killed during a police raid of her home, as they intended to enter the premises to fulfill a faulty search warrant. According to Attorney General Merrick Garland, four officers have now been charged with civil rights violations, among other charges, related to the death of Breonna Taylor by the FBI.
Warning: This article discloses information about drugs and gun violence.
In the events that led up to Breonna’s death, police attempted to enter Taylor’s home based on the suspicion that she was involved with her ex-boyfriend’s alleged drug operation.
According to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, “When the officers breached the door, Kenneth Walker (Ms. Taylor’s boyfriend), believing the officers were intruders, fired one warning shot towards the ground from his licensed gun. The prosecution alleged that Mr. Walker’s bullet hit Sergeant Jonathan Mattingly in the leg; however, according to a ballistics report, the bullet that struck Sergeant Mattingly was neither “identified nor eliminated as having been fired” from Mr. Walker’s gun.”
LMPD officers Mattingly, Myles Cosgrove, and Brett Hankison allegedly responded to Walker’s warning shot and discharged 32 rounds into Breonna’s dark apartment. They allegedly did not identify a target as they could not see where their bullets would land. Sergeant Mattingly and Detective Cosgrove fired five rounds, and another projectile striking Breonna with one causing her death.
Breonna Taylor. Say her name. pic.twitter.com/rcyWhM30EZ
— Natasha Rothwell (@natasharothwell) August 4, 2022
Devastation surrounding the death of Breonna Taylor swept the nation as she became one of the many faces that represented police violence. People across the U.S. chanted “Say her name!” during protests. Her death was one of the many catalysts in the Black Lives Matter movement of 2020.
“Leave it to the states” is the battlecry for White Supremacy. This is why the federal government intervened during the Civil Rights era. This is why the federal government is now doing what our city and state failed to do for Breonna. https://t.co/2QkuU0JFFM
— Marc Murphy (@MurphyCartoons) August 4, 2022
Excessive force is defined as “force in excess of what a police officer reasonably believes is necessary.” The number of times Hankison discharged his firearm well exceeds the number of times reasonably necessary to respond to a warning shot. The manner in which Hankison and his fellow officers allegedly behaved was not only inappropriate but also in direct contradiction with police training on diffusing a dangerous situation. Since the warrant issued was a no-knock warrant, police were not required to announce themselves upon entering. However, the first warning shot fired would have been an appropriate time to announce their identity. This might have prevented any further shots from being fired. Mr. Walker was allegedly clearly alarmed when woken up by the front door being kicked in. He allegedly fired the warning shot to alert possible intruders that he was armed. There was no indication that Walker intended to harm or injure a police officer. Therefore, firing 32 rounds was well beyond the necessary use of force.
The officers charged in Taylor’s death are Joshua Jaynes, who lied on the search warrant that sparked the entire incident, Sargeant Kyle Meany, Officer Kelly Hanna Goodlett, and Brett Hankison.
they arrested breonna taylor’s murderers? wow.
— breana jones (@BreanaMJones) August 4, 2022
According to Garland, along with civil rights violations, “federal authorities charged the four with unlawful conspiracies, unconstitutional use of force, and obstruction.” The unlawful conspiracy charges stem from the fact that the officers falsified incident reports and made false testimony regarding the case.
Breonna’s mother released a statement regarding the case’s progression, “What we’ve been saying was the truth, that they shouldn’t have been there and that Breonna didn’t deserve that. Today’s overdue, but it still hurts.”
The U.S. Department of Justice advised CNN that Hankison “is charged with depriving Taylor and a guest in her home ‘of their constitutional rights by firing shots through a bedroom window that was covered with blinds and a blackout curtain.'”
A written statement from the lawyers representing Breonna Taylor’s family – Ben Crump, Lonita Baker and Sam Aguiar – re: the four federal indictments handed down today. The statement ends “Say her name. Breonna Taylor.” @WFPLNews pic.twitter.com/7W7PotnEjr
— Roberto Roldan (@ByRobertoR) August 4, 2022
While a small sigh of relief sweeps the nation, justice will never replace the lost lives of individuals like Breonna Taylor at the hands of law enforcement.
There is a long journey to tread to make a genuine change that spares lives. Hopefully, these federal charges will set a precedent going forward that leads to better decision-making of those that hold authority. A video covering the most recent break-in of Breonna Taylor’s case is available below.
Laurie is a writer and editor at Glitter Magazine. She was born and raised in the smallest city in Virginia, where she lives with her two daughters. In her spare time, she makes cruelty-free, vegan lotion and body butter for her small business, Laurie’s Gourmet Lotions.
