LOUISVILLE – A federal judge has lowered the charges against two ex-Louisville Metro Police officers involved in a faulty 2020 raid that resulted in the death of Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman. Taylor’s death ignited widespread protests against police brutality.

The Justice Department indicted the officers in August 2022 for allegedly preparing and endorsing a search warrant affidavit related to a drug investigation that contained false information, omitted crucial details, and lacked probable cause.

On Thursday, U.S. District Senior Judge Charles Simpson III dismissed charges of felony deprivation of rights under the color of law against former detective Joshua Jaynes and former Sgt. Kyle Meany.

Originally, the indictment claimed the offense involved a dangerous weapon and led to Taylor’s death, which could have resulted in a life sentence. However, Simpson ruled to remove that part. Now, if found guilty on that charge, Meany and Jaynes could face a maximum of one year in prison.

In the 33-page decision from the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky, Judge Simpson noted that the warrantless entry was not the direct cause of Taylor’s death.

Instead, he attributed the blame to Kenneth Walker, Taylor’s boyfriend, who fired first. Walker’s attorney asserts that he shot in self-defense, believing the home was being invaded since police did not announce themselves. In return, officers fired 32 shots, hitting Taylor multiple times.

This ruling comes more than four years after Taylor was shot and follows recent indictments of two officers linked to the deaths of other Black women: Sonya Massey in Illinois and Ta’Kiya Young in Ohio.

According to Mapping Police Violence, a project run by police reform advocacy group Campaign Zero, law enforcement has killed 857 individuals this year, with Black individuals being nearly three times more likely to be killed by police compared to their white counterparts.

Former Officers React Positively to Judge’s Ruling

Despite the ruling, Jaynes still faces charges of conspiracy to cover up the false warrant and falsifying documents to mislead investigators, while Meany is still charged with providing false statements to FBI agents.

Jaynes was terminated from LMPD in January 2021 due to policy violations regarding truthfulness and search warrant preparation. Meany was fired in August 2022 by former LMPD Chief Erika Shields after the federal indictment.

Louisville attorney Thomas Clay, who represents Jaynes, expressed to The Courier Journal that his client is pleased with the decision.

“This dismissal puts the responsibility back on the United States to decide how to move forward with this ruling,” Clay remarked.

The attorney also stated that the Department of Justice is awaiting the outcome of Brett Hankison’s trial, scheduled for October, before setting a date for Jaynes and Meany’s trial.

Brian Butler, representing Meany, expressed his satisfaction with the judge’s ruling as well.

Insights into the Judge’s Ruling

The pivotal factor in the judge’s ruling involves Walker’s decision to fire at officers who entered Taylor’s apartment.

Prosecutors need to demonstrate that the officers’ entry was the actual and proximate cause of Taylor’s death—that is, her death must have been a “natural and probable consequence” of the events. Jaynes and Meany’s attorneys argued that Walker’s shot disrupted the natural events, absolving them of criminal responsibility for Taylor’s death.

Simpson concurred, asserting that Walker’s gunfire — which resulted in an injury to former Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly — acted as a “superseding cause,” establishing the legal cause of her death, regardless of Walker’s unawareness of the officers’ identity.

Moreover, while prosecutors claimed the fatal shooting involved the use of a dangerous weapon resulting in Taylor’s death, the judge clarified that the officers were firing back at Walker and not using their firearms to support the allegedly unlawful search.

Even though prosecutors contended police aimed their guns upon entering, the judge highlighted that this was for “self-protection, rather than to facilitate the unlawful search.”

Current Status of Other Cases

Jaynes and Meany are among four officers federally charged on August 4, 2022, involving the raid.

Another officer, detective Kelly Goodlett, has pleaded guilty to falsifying information on the warrant and is awaiting sentencing.

Hankison, who discharged 10 shots into Taylor’s apartment during the raid, was federally charged for violating the civil rights of Taylor, Walker, and three neighbors through excessive force. After a jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict in November, the judge declared a mistrial. A retrial is expected later this year.

No charges have been filed against the other two officers who discharged their weapons during the raid on Taylor’s apartment.

Contact reporter Josh Wood at jwood@courier-journal.com or on X, formerly Twitter, at @JWoodJourno. Contact reporter Rachel Smith at rksmith@courier-journal.com or on X at @RachelSmithNews. Contact reporter Lucas Aulbach at laulbach@courier-journal.com or on X at @LucasAulbach.