Louisville police officially fire 2 detectives for their roles in fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Louisville Metro Police Department has officially fired two detectives and sanctioned others for their actions surrounding the raid that left Breonna Taylor, 26, dead in her apartment.

Detectives Myles Cosgrove and Joshua Jaynes, who were fired Tuesday, are the latest detectives the department has terminated in connection with the fatal police shooting of Taylor.

A third detective, Brett Hankison, was fired in June for "blindly" firing 10 rounds into her apartment.

Cosgrove, who the FBI concluded fired the shot that killed Taylor, violated procedures for use of force and failing to use a body camera during the March 13 search warrant.

Jaynes, meanwhile, the officer who secured the search warrant for Taylor's apartment, was found in violation of department policy for truthfulness and search warrant preparation.

It was also announced Wednesday that Erika Shields, the former Atlanta police chief who stepped down after one of her officers fatally shot Rayshard Brooks, will take over as the leader of Louisville's embattled police force.

Shields will face an immediate challenge stepping into her new role following a record-breaking year of homicides in Louisville and months of turmoil and protests over the fatal police shooting of Taylor in March.

In Atlanta, Shields made reform a priority and was known nationwide as a progressive leader, yet she successfully won the loyalty of rank and file officers, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

She stepped down as chief June 13, hours after an Atlanta police officer shot and killed Brooks, a 27-year-old Black man, following an altercation at a Wendy's in which the officer was subsequently fired.

On Tuesday night, Cosgrove sent an email to fellow officers lambasting LMPD's leadership for succumbing to "political pressures," writing that leaders "aren't afraid to perform hatchet jobs on you either."

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"Think about that next time you put on the uniform and badge," Cosgrove wrote. "For those of you still doing real police work, it's just a matter of time till you (too) will be a sacrificial lamb. I plead with you, do nothing."

Cosgrove and Jaynes each received pre-termination letters last week outlining the findings against them from interim Chief Yvette Gentry, who ultimately upheld her decision after meeting with each officer and his respective attorney.

Those pre-termination meetings were a chance for the officers and their legal defense to present "additional information or mitigating factors in their favor."

Under Kentucky state law and their union contract, Cosgrove and Jaynes can appeal their firings within 10 days to the Police Merit Board.

The merit board could uphold the firing or set aside the chief's finding and create a new penalty.

An officer has the right to appeal the merit board's decision within 30 days to a circuit court judge.

Hankison appealed his termination to the Police Merit Board, which will hear his appeal when his criminal case is completed.

He has pleaded not guilty to three counts of first-degree wanton endangerment after several rounds of gunfire went into an occupied apartment next to Taylor's unit.

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Gentry also found the following:

  • Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly, the officer who was wounded during the attempted search warrant execution, was exonerated for use of deadly force and de-escalation violations.

  • Sgt. Kyle Meany of the Place-Based Investigations unit that pursued the warrant for Taylor's apartment was found in violation of the department policy guiding risk assessment and SWAT Team response for a search warrant. He received a letter of reprimand.

  • Detective Anthony James received a one-day suspension for violation of body camera policy during the search. James wore a body camera but failed to activate it.

  • Detective Michael Campbell also received a one-day suspension for violation of the department's body camera policy.

  • Lt. Shawn Hoover, the commanding officer on scene during the warrant, was exonerated of violating procedures concerning the responsibilities of commanding officers.

  • Detective Wes Barton was exonerated for a truthfulness violation for his role in preparing for the search.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Breonna Taylor shooting death: 2 Louisville detectives fired