2 Louisville Officers Fired in Fatal Shooting of Breonna Taylor

01.06.21
2 Louisville Officers Fired in Fatal Shooting of Breonna Taylor (Photo: Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

The Louisville Metro Police Department terminated two officers in the shooting death of Breonna Taylor that sparked months of civil unrest throughout the nation, and a global demand for justice.

The firings of Dets. Myles Cosgrove and Joshua Jaynes were made official Tuesday, according to the police department.

A grand jury indicted one officer in relation to the shooting, but no officers were charged in connection with Taylor’s death, despite the continued national outcry from her family and supporters.

The only officer charged in the incident was former Louisville Police Det. Brett Hankison for firing shots into Taylor’s neighbor’s apartment. 

The 26-year-old emergency medical employee was fatally shot in her home March 13 after several officers entered her home carrying out a no-knock search warrant. Taylor and her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, were sleeping when officers carried out the botched narcotics investigation.

Walker, a licensed gun owner, thought the apartment was being burglarized and fired a shot that hit a police officer. Police returned gunfire and hit Taylor eight times.

The use of no-knock warrants has since been banned by Louisville’s Metro Council.

Taylor’s family sued the city accusing the police department of wrongful death and settled Sept. 15 for $12 million.

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