Former Louisville Police Officer In Breonna Taylor Case Continues To Appeal Termination
Myles Cosgrove, the former Louisville Metro police officer who was determined to be the officer who fired the shot that killed Breonna Taylor on the night of March 13, 2020, during a botched drug raid, is continuing an appeal to his termination and may find out the result as early as this week.
According to a copy of his termination letter obtained by CNN, Cosgrove was fired in January for the use of deadly force after he shot 16 times into the home of the 26-year-old emergency medical technician and for failing to turn on his body camera.
Officials with the Louisville Metropolitan Police Department conducted an initial board notice of hearing last November. The second half of Cosgrove’s hearing began Monday (Dec 13) and is expected to conclude on Wednesday (Dec 15).
Several details were revealed during the meeting, including a fundraiser campaign Cosgrove created on GiveSendGo, “the #1 free Christian fundraising site,” according to the official website. “Myles’ reputation has been completely dismantled, and the psychological trauma is something that he will have to cope with for the rest of his life,” the fundraiser description read.
Cosgrove had set a goal of raising $75,000 that would reportedly go towards his retirement. At the time of this report, the disgraced cop had already raised $61,807.
The River City Fraternal Order of Police said in a statement that they believed “There is certainly no evidence in this case that policies and procedures of the LMPD were violated to the extent that warranted termination. Interim Chief [Yvette] Gentry not only made the wrong decision but also sent an ominous message to every sworn officer of the Louisville Metro Police Department.”
Crosgrove wasn’t the only member of the department to be let go. Detective Joshua Jaynes, who wrote the search warrant for the raid, was also terminated along with Crosgrove. The Louisville police union called both firings at the time “unjustified.”
Taylor died after being shot five times after police carried out a no-knock warrant. Her killing, along with those of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery, sparked outrage, protest, and cries for police reform.
Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron also stated that Cosgrove’s action was justified because Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker II, fired a single warning shot at authorities thinking they were intruders.
Ultimately, none of the involved officers in the raid were charged with Taylor’s killing. Brett Hankison–one of the three officers–was the only person charged in connection with the shooting.
RELATED: Cop Who Killed Breonna Taylor Appeals For His Job Back In Louisville Police Department
He was fired in Jun 2020, and in September of that same year, a grand jury with three counts of felony wanton endangerment for blindly firing ten shots into Taylor's home. He pleaded not guilty and is expected in court sometime in 2022. If convicted on all three charges, he could face between three and 15 years in prison.
