The Department of Justice has announced federal charges against four officers involved in the death of 26-year-old Breonna Taylor.

On Thursday, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced that the former and current police officers will be made to answer for their actions that led to Taylor's death.

Taylor was in her Louisville, Kentucky, apartment with her boyfriend when a no-knock warrant was executed on her residence on March 13, 2020. At least seven police officers made their way into her apartment, alarming Taylor and her boyfriend Kenneth Walker. Walker, who had mistaken the officers for intruders, pulled out a handgun and fired a warning shot. As a result, the officers fired 32 shots, six of which struck Taylor, killing her.

Taylor's death drew national attention bringing harsh criticism against no-knock warrants and the treatment of unarmed black individuals. For the past two years, Taylor's family called for justice for their loved one’s death. In an attempt to answer that call, the DOJ circumvented the nuances of whether or not the shooting was justified and instead directed their attention to the affidavit that allowed the no-knock search warrant to be issued in the first place.

The Department of Justice alleges that Taylor's Fourth Amendment rights were violated after the officers unlawfully obtained the search warrant. After Taylor’s death, the DOJ accused the officers of trying to cover up the unlawful actions that allowed them to obtain the search warrant.

In the first indictment, the DOJ alleges that Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) detective Joshua James, 40, and current LMPD Sergeant Kyle Meany, 35, are guilty of federal civil rights and obstruction charges and for helping to put together and approve a falsified search warrant affidavit.

The second indictment charges former LMPD Detective Brett Hankison, 46, with civil rights violations after he used excessive force when he fired his service weapon into Taylor's apartment through a covered window and a covered glass door. He fired 10 shots, none of which struck Taylor. The DOJ contends that because his view was obstructed, he no longer had a “ lawful objective justifying the use of deadly force.”

The last indictment charges LMPD detective Kelly Goodlett of conspiring with Detective James to create a false narrative to back up their claims used in the affidavit to secure the search warrant. The DOJ explains that the pair met in secret in a garage to solidify the lies they would tell in order to mislead investigators.

“Louisville Police Detective Joshua Jaynes and Sgt. Kyle Meany drafted and approved what they knew was a false affidavit to support a search warrant for Miss Taylor’s home,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke said. “That false affidavit set in motion events that led to Ms. Taylor’s death.”

Included in the false information put on the affidavit application was that a postal Inspector had told Goodlett that the residence in which Taylor lived was where packages associated with drug trafficking were delivered. Prosecutors allege that this claim was a lie and was one of the main factors used to issue the affidavit.

Attorney Garland detailed that the defendant had known that they were lying in the affidavit and that their lies could create a dangerous situation. Garland also noted that none of the officers who actually executed the warrant were aware of the lies told beforehand to obtain it. After the executed search warrant led to the death of Taylor, the Attorney General alleges that Goodlett and Meany "took steps to cover up their unlawful conduct after Ms. Taylor's death" and that they had met in order to "conspire to mislead federal, state and local authorities who were investigating the incident."

Louisville mayor Greg Fischer responded to the allegations made against the current and former LMPD officers. “First of all, that’s super disturbing, obviously,” Fischer shared. “So I’m grateful that investigations go deep enough to find out if that’s an issue, and of course, that’s what led to the indictment yesterday. I mean, I can say it’s like in any large organization, you’re going to have, unfortunately, a small group of people that are problematic or don’t tell the truth. I don’t think that represents at all the entire police force around the country and LMPD as well, but it’s important that when there is any dishonesty or any kind of corruption, it’s called out and removed from the organization. And that’s what good cops want as well.”

Following the fatal execution of the warrant, LMPD fired Jaynes and Hankinson in the months after Taylor's death. Last week, the LMPD police chief announced that the department had begun “termination procedures” for both Goodlett and Meany.

These latest charges against the officers involved come just one year after the DOJ opened a civil rights investigation into the practice, pattern, and methodology of the Louisville Police Department. This civil rights investigation is still pending and is independent of the charges brought against the four officers.