UPDATED: 11:45 a.m. ET, Jan. 6, 2021 —
Detectives Joshua Jaynes and Myles Cosgrove were officially fired from the Louisville Metro Police Department, according to a report from USA Today.
Jaynes and Cosgrove were just two of the involved officers who stormed the home of Breonna Taylor last March in a botched raid which claimed her life and further ignited the Black Lives Matter movement.
The move comes after the officers were given pretermination letters last week notifying them of the LMPD’s impending decision. They will be able to appeal the termination within 10 days to with the Police Merit Board. After the Merit Board’s decision, officers can appeal again with a circuit judge in 30 days.
Jaynes and Cosgrove are the second and third officers who were terminated by the LMPD, following the firing of Brett Hankison last year. Hankison filed an appeal after the Merit Board’s decision who will hear his case after his impending trial. He faces charges of wanton endangerment for “blindly” firing 10 rounds, some of which entered into a neighboring apartment.
No officers were charged in Taylor’s murder.
Personnel changes in the LMPD will also take place on Wednesday as Erika Shields, Atlanta’s former top cop who stepped down after the fatal shooting of Rayshard Brooks, will take over as the new LMPD Police Chief.
Original Story:
Two officers involved in Breonna Taylor‘s killing received notice Tuesday that the Louisville Metro Police Department intends to fire them.
Joshua Jaynes, the detective who obtained the fateful no-knock warrant, and Det. Myles Cosgrove, the officer who fired the fatal bullet in the raid, were both informed of plans for their termination, the Lousiville Courier-Journal reported.
Jaynes will be afforded the opportunity to defend himself in a pre-termination hearing on Thursday.
He 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, who has said he shot in fear of their safety after suspecting an intruder. 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.’”
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. He 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
