The U.S. Department of Justice today announced federal charges against four current or former police officers who were involved in the drug raid that killed Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old EMT and aspiring nurse, at her apartment in Louisville, Kentucky, on March 13, 2020. With one exception, this is the first time that any officers have been charged in connection with the deadly operation, which was based on a flimsy and falsified search warrant affidavit that relied almost entirely on Taylor's connection to a former boyfriend, Jamarcus Glover, a suspected drug dealer.
Former detective Joshua Jaynes, who wrote that affidavit, is charged with willfully violating Taylor's Fourth Amendment rights under color of law by seeking a warrant without probable cause. The Justice Department says his affidavit "contained false and misleading statements, omitted material facts, relied on stale information, and was not supported by probable cause." Because the resulting search warrant led to Taylor's death, Jaynes could face up to life in prison if convicted.
