Update: The former cop said to have fired the shot that killed Breonna Taylor was terminated earlier this year by the Louisville Metro Police Department for violating use-of-force protocol and for not using his bodycam. Now, ex-detective Myles Cosgrove is vying to get his job back, lodging an appeal to the department's Merit Board, which will determine whether Yvette Gentry, the police chief at the time, acted appropriately in firing him, reports NPR. Cosgrove and his lawyer appeared before the board Tuesday and were set to make further arguments on Wednesday, with appearances in December also possible. Per the Louisville Courier Journal, Cosgrove's attorney says in the appeal notice that his client didn't have to wear a bodycam, as he was a narcotics officer, and that another cop who was on the scene in March 2020 was cleared of using excessive force, even though he also fired his gun. The board could uphold Cosgrove's firing or choose to reinstate him and come up with a different punishment. Our original story from Jan. 6 follows:
Breonna Taylor lost her life, and now two more detectives with the Louisville Metro Police Department have lost their jobs. Detectives Myles Cosgrove and Joshua Jaynes were fired Tuesday, reports the Courier Journal. They had received pretermination letters last week; the firings came after each met with interim Chief Yvette Gentry in a hearing in which they could argue against being terminated. The FBI determined Cosgrove fired the fatal shot on the night of March 13, 2020; he was fired for not using a body camera and violating procedures for use of force. The AP reports Gentry's letter, which hasn't been made public, said Cosgrove did not "properly identify a target" when he shot 16 rounds into the apartment. Jaynes, who obtained the search warrant but wasn't present that night, was fired for violating department policy for truthfulness and search warrant preparation.
The paper notes that Cosgrove sent his peers a strongly worded email on Tuesday night that blasted those at the helm of the department for giving in to political pressures and performing "hatchet jobs." He wrote, "Think about that next time you put on the uniform and badge. "For those of you still doing real police work, it's just a matter of time till you (too) will be a sacrificial lamb. I plead with you, do nothing." The detectives can appeal. Brett Hankison, who "blindly" shot into Taylor's apartment, was fired in June and has appealed. A number of other law enforcement personnel who were involved have variously been exonerated, given letters of reprimand, or, in two cases, given a one-day suspension for not adhering to the body camera policy. (More Breonna Taylor stories.)
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