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The Department of Justice has filed a motion urging a federal judge to drop the case against two former officers linked to the Louisville incident that resulted in Breonna Taylor’s death.
Breonna Taylor, a Black woman, lost her life in March 2020 during a police operation in which officers executed a warrant at her Louisville apartment. This tragic event unfolded as part of a botched operation by local law enforcement.
In August 2022, the DOJ initially charged officers Joshua Jaynes and Kyle Meany. The charges alleged that they had engaged in excessive force, fabricated information to justify the search of Taylor’s home, and subsequently attempted to cover up their misconduct. These allegations led to the termination of both officers from their positions.
The nationwide outrage that followed Taylor’s death was intensified by the killing of George Floyd, a Black man in Minneapolis, just weeks later. Together, these incidents sparked widespread protests decrying systemic police brutality.
Jaynes and Meany have previously highlighted in court documents that neither was actually present at the raid that led to Taylor’s tragic end. The request for dismissal, penned by Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon and Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Robert Keenan, points out that the court had already reduced charges against the officers in several instances.
The DOJ made similar moves last May to drop a lawsuit accusing the Louisville Police Department of unconstitutional policing practices. They also requested a one-day sentence for another Louisville officer convicted in connection with Taylor’s death last July.
“In light of the foregoing proceedings, the Government undertook a further review of this matter. Based on that review, and in the exercise of its discretion, the Government has determined that this case should be dismissed in the interest of justice,” Dhillon and Keenan wrote in the dismissal.
Meany’s attorney, Michael Denbow, told the Courier Journal on Friday that Meany is “incredibly grateful for today’s filing” and was “looking forward to putting this matter behind him and moving on with his life.”
Jayne’s lawyer, Thomas Clay, affirmed to the Courier Journal that Jaynes “did absolutely nothing wrong.”
“The Department of Justice’s request is not only callous but deeply disrespectful to the memory of Breonna Taylor and to her family, who have waited six long years for justice,” the NAACP’s Louisville Branch said in a statement. “This action sends a troubling message and risks undermining public trust in our justice system.”