DOJ Asks For Charges To Be Dropped Against 2 Officers In Breonna Taylor Case

By Olivia Armstead 

The Department of Justice (DOJ) reportedly asked a court on Friday, Mar. 20 to drop charges against two former police officers that were charged with providing false information on a search warrant that ultimately led to the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor in March 2020. 

Courtesy of CNN

According to ABC News, federal prosecutors initially alleged in 2022 that Joshua Jaynes and Kyle Meany provided false information on the search warrant that allowed for police to enter Taylor’s apartment. The two men were additionally charged with civil rights violations. 

An attorney within the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division appeared in front of a judge on Friday, Mar. 20, saying that the charges against the two former officers should be dropped and that Taylor’s family had been informed of the proposal. 

Attorneys representing the Taylor family appeared to be deeply troubled by the proposal and offered their thoughts on the case. 

“The Department of Justice’s move to dismiss these remaining charges is deeply painful for Breonna Taylor’s family and it sends a chilling message about the value of Black lives in our country,” said Attorneys Ben Crump and Lolita Baker in a joint statement, per ABC News. “The warrant that sent officers to Breonna’s door has always been at the center of this tragedy … we cannot accept a reality where a young woman can be killed in her own home and no one is held responsible … that is not justice…”

Young students who have been following the case and advocating for Taylor and other Black victims of police brutality had their own thoughts to contribute. 

“As a national NAACP member, I believe in the NAACP’s commitment to dismantling racism to create a society where all people can truly be free,” said Kristine Harris, the assistant secretary for the HU chapter of NAACP. “Unfortunately, in this case, Breonna Taylor wasn’t served fair justice for the tragedies, and it reinforces the importance of advocating for ending racial biases in the justice system.”

A judge has yet to make a decision.