Sergeant Kyle Meany, one of the officers present the night Breonna Taylor was murdered has been fired from the Louisville Metro Police Department.
On Friday, Louisville Police Chief Erika Shields stated that she made the decision to terminate Meany after “careful consideration and not with ease.”
“I fully respect the judicial process and realize Sergeant Meany has yet to be heard before a jury of his peers,” Shields stated. “That being said, he is facing multiple federal charges after a lengthy investigation by the DOJ. As an employer, the character of our organization is paramount and it is not reasonable to expect continued employment under such conditions.”
Taylor, a 26 year old emergency room technician was murdered in her home on March 13th, 2020 as she was asleep in bed beside her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker. The officers stormed into the apartment that night and fired 22 shots into the apartment, one of which ended the young woman’s life after piercing her chest.
Meany is one of the four officers who ended up facing charges by the US Department of Justice. According to Revolt, former Detective Brett Hankison, former Detective Joshua Jaynes, Detective Kelly Goodlett, along with Meany face various civil rights violations, including unlawful conspiracy, use of force and obstruction of justice.
Court documents also show that Goodlett and Jaynes included false and misleading information in order to obtain the search warrant. Meany, who was their supervisor, approved the search warrant, despite the fact that the provided information was false.
Meany is also accused of lying to investigators about the officers’ failure to announce themselves upon arrival. Hankinson was also acquitted in March by a Kentucky jury on a separate indictment in which he was charged with two counts of deprivation of rights for firing 10 rounds through the window and glass door in Taylor’s apartment.