A federal judge has ruled that Breonna Taylor’s death was legally caused by her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, who fired a shot at police during a botched 2020 raid, leading to Taylor’s fatal shooting. U.S. District Judge Charles Simpson dismissed major felony charges against former Louisville officers Joshua Jaynes and Kyle Meany, stating that Walker’s actions, not the allegedly falsified warrant, were the proximate cause of her death.
This ruling significantly reduces the charges against Jaynes and Meany, who were accused of civil rights violations for securing a faulty warrant that led to the deadly raid. The officers, who were not present during the raid, were originally charged by U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland in 2022. Garland argued that the warrant’s inaccuracies put Taylor in harm’s way, but the judge disagreed, ruling that Walker’s decision to fire at police disrupted the sequence of events.
Walker, who said he believed intruders were breaking into the apartment, fired one shot, hitting an officer in the leg. The officers returned fire, killing Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman, in her hallway. Walker was initially charged with attempted murder, but the charge was dropped after he claimed he did not know he was shooting at police.
Taylor’s family expressed disappointment, stating they are “devastated” by the ruling but remain committed to seeking justice. They indicated that prosecutors plan to appeal the decision. The U.S. Department of Justice is currently reviewing the ruling to determine its next steps.
The case continues to draw national attention as the trials of Jaynes, Meany, and other involved officers approach, highlighting ongoing debates over police accountability and racial justice in America.
