2 Cops In Breonna Taylor Case Face Termination Months After Calls For Justice
On Tuesday two officers in the Breonna Taylor case received notice that the Louisville Metro Police Department intends to end their employment according to WAVE.
Det. Joshua Jaynes, the Louisville, Kentucky, officer who obtained the no-knock warrant and Det. Myles Cosgrove, the officer who fired the fatal bullet in the raid, were both informed of plans for termination.
BREAKING: The Louisville Metro Police Department is seeking to fire the detective who got the no-knock search warrant for Breonna Taylor’s home.
Detective Joshua Jaynes has a hearing with the interim chief on Thursday.https://t.co/y65IgW6DQ6
— Tessa Duvall (@TessaDuvall) December 29, 2020
Jaynes will be afforded the opportunity to defend himself in a pre-termination hearing on Thursday, WAVE reports.
Jaynes was the subject of an internal investigation regarding the warrant he secured in order to raid Taylor’s home on March 13. Jaynes claimed he confirmed with a U.S. Postal Inspector that Taylor was receiving packages to her home addressed to Jamarcus Glover, Taylor’s ex-boyfriend and the subject of a narcotics investigation.
In the end Taylor was shot and bled to death in her home after officers returned fire from her boyfriend Kenneth Walker. Walker maintains he shot in fear of their safety. Police never recovered drugs or money at the scene of the crime.
“Detective Jaynes lied when he swore ‘verified through a US Postal Inspector,’” Louisville Metro Police Department Interim Chief Yvette Gentry wrote in the letter of intent to terminate. “Detective Jaynes did not have contact with a US Postal Inspector, he received the information from Sergeant Mattingly, who got it from a Shively Police Officer. Detective Jaynes also lied when he swore a US Postal Inspector advised ‘that Jamarcus Glover has been receiving packages at 3003 Springfield Drive #4.’”
It’s official. Police Officer Myles Cosgrove & Detective Joshua Jaynes from the Louisville Police Department have both been terminated today.
That makes three. Brett Hankison, Myles Cosgrove, & Joshua Jaynes.
The fight for #BreonnaTaylor continues.
— untilfreedom (@untilfreedom) December 29, 2020
However, Jaynes’ lawyer says his client produced photos that proved Glover did receive packages at Taylor’s home.
Cosgrove and Jaynes’ termination follows the firing of Brett Hankison over the summer. Hankison is also the lone officer charged in the Taylor case, though he will not stand trial for Taylor’s murder, but instead faces charges of wanton endangerment for “blindly” firing 10 rounds, some of which entered into a neighboring apartment.
Taylor’s mother Tamika Palmer shared the news of Jaynes’ termination on Instagram, a platform she uses to advocate for her daughter’s memory.
Palmer was denied a second prosecutor in her daughter’s case in early December after Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron failed to convict the officers involved of any wrongdoing. The Kentucky Prosecutors Advisory Council unanimously voted to decline Palmer’s request citing they did not have the legal authority to grant the request.
While the termination of Cosgrove, Jaynes and Hankison points to a minor semblance of justice for Palmer and her loved ones, nothing can ultimately replace Taylor whose life was cut short in a senseless act of state sanctioned violence.
SEE ALSO:
Breonna Taylor’s Mom Tamika Palmer Calls On Biden To Prioritize Police Reform
Louisville Mourns Kris Smith, 2nd Breonna Taylor Activist Killed In Fatal Shooting
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