The FBI arrested our officers involved in the March 2020 police raid. If they are found guilty of violating Taylor's civil rights, they could be sentenced to life in prison.
According to the indictment, the raid on Taylor's apartment was the result of lies. The no-knock police raid that led to Taylor's death should never have been granted.
The Department of Justice announcement was the beginning of justice for Taylor's family and her supporters. The officer who was involved in the killing was acquitted at trial.
There are restrictions on no-knock warrants.
The mother said she had waited 874 days for her daughter. It's been a long time but today is finally here. They shouldn't have been there.
The family and community leaders felt like justice was not available. The president of the Louisville Urban League, who has worked closely with the Taylor family, told Time that the last two years have been very heavy. This sense of disregard has left us. Over Louisville, there had been a lot of weight.
The Louisville police internal investigation found that the raid on Taylor's home was conducted on false pretenses.
According to the federal charges announced today, members of the Place-Based Investigations Unit of the Louisville Metro Police Department are accused of violating federal civil rights laws when they obtained a search warrant for Ms. Taylor's home.
A no-knock warrant was used to raid Taylor's home. One of the officers was hit in the leg by a bullet that Kenneth Walker thought was coming from the invaders. Taylor was killed when the officers opened fire into the apartment.
Protests against police brutality and systemic racism took off after George Floyd was murdered two months later.
According to the DOJ, former Detective Joshua Jaynes, Sergeant Kyle Meany, and Detective Kelly Goodlett worked together to get the warrant for Taylor's home. There was no evidence that a former boyfriend of Taylor was getting packages delivered to her home.
According to the indictment, the execution of the search warrant could create a dangerous situation for those officers and anyone who happened to be in Taylor's home.
They are accused of writing a false warrant affidavit and then covering it up. They agreed to lie to the investigators after Taylor was killed in the raid. He was fired from the department.
Goodlett is accused of conspiring. There are charges of civil rights violations and conspiracy. Meany is accused of lying to federal investigators.
The DOJ charged Hankinson with violating Taylor's civil rights. Hankinson was fired by the Louisville police after he was indicted.
Hankinson shot through a window in Taylor's apartment, but he wasn't the one who killed Taylor. In March 2022, he was found not guilty of state charges.
According to the DOJ, the other officers who carried out the raid did not know that the warrant was fake.
After two long years of relentless investigations, today's indictments are a critical step forward in the process towards achieving justice for Breonna Taylor.
The fury over how the state investigation was handled is what makes Louisville feel vindicated.
The Kentucky Attorney General met with Reynolds before taking up the case. Reynolds said that there would be a thorough investigation. I was not prepared for what I saw.
Many community members think that the grand jury was not given all the information. Grand jurors have said that they felt misled by the announcement that no serious charges would be brought against the department.
The Americans were forced to confront the reality of racism. Many people looked away in the years to come.
One thing to disagree with the outcome of a grand jury decision is another thing to feel that a grand jury didn't get to hear the whole story.
She thinks the federal charges wouldn't have come under the previous administration.
Reynolds believes that the arrest of the officers could lead to a shift in how law enforcement is held accountable.
She hopes that police officers across the country will come forward and tell the truth about what's going on. I hope that we will use these cases to look at the system.
If you would like to write to him, you can email him at Josiah.bates@Time.com.
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