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Louisville Cop Placed on Leave After Applying for Search Warrant in Breonna Taylor Case

Detective Joshua Jaynes applied for the “no-knock” search warrant that led to Breonna Taylor's death in March.

Louisville Metro Police Detective Joshua Jaynes has been placed on administrative leave for applying for the search warrant that led to Breonna Taylor’s death in March. Taylor, a 26-year-old EMT worker, was asleep when she was shot eight times in her home. Louisville police had executed several “no-knock” search warrants—secured by Jaynes—to look for a suspected drug dealer who lived in a different part of town. In the affidavit, Jaynes said he was targeting a suspect believed to be in a “trap house” that was more than 10 miles away from Taylor's house. It later emerged that the suspect was already in police custody by the time authorities raided Taylor’s house. Her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, was startled awake during the raid and thought he was being burglarized. He used a legal firearm to fire one shot in self defense, prompting return fire from the cops of more than 20 rounds into the home.

Louisville police have also released the incident report from the night Taylor was killed. Cataloguing her injuries, officers wrote, “none,” though Taylor died of eight gunshot wounds, according to family’s lawyers. When asked if the investigation entailed forced entry, officers checked “no,” though officers used a battering ram to break down her door.

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Pilar MelendezSenior National Reporter

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