Ex-LMPD officer involved in Breonna Taylor case tries to get his job back
Joshua Jaynes was fired from the department for allegedly lying on the warrant that resulted in the raid at Taylor’s home.
The former Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) detective who was fired for his involvement in the deadly shooting of Breonna Taylor is trying to get his job back.
According to WLKY, on Thursday (June 3), Joshua Jaynes testified before the Police Merit Board in an effort to return to the force. The former detective is accused of lying on the warrant that caused the March 2020 raid at Taylor’s home. An internal investigation found that the wording on the affidavit which led the cops to the residence was misleading.
Jaynes’ lawyer argued that his client was terminated before the Profesional Standards Investigation was completed. He also said that his firing was not supported by the evidence in the case.
According to the warrant, Jaynes verified through the U.S. Postal Service that Taylor’s ex-boyfriend was receiving suspicious packages — allegedly containing drugs — at her home in West Louisville. However, his termination letter states that that information was false.
Jaynes reportedly received information about the packages from another detective and his information could not be confirmed. During the hearing on Thursday, the Merit Board questioned Jaynes about the allegations that he did not verify the claims with the postal inspector. The ex-detective confirmed that he did not.
“My point is, how is someone looking at this supposed to know that there is an intermediary, there is somebody else that you talked to?” a Merit Board member asked Jaynes.
As REVOLT previously reported, Taylor was shot and killed in March 2020 by LMPD officers who entered her apartment to serve a no-knock search warrant in a drug case. None of the cops were charged for her death, but Brett Hankison was indicted on three wanton endangerment charges for blindly firing 10 shots into the homes of Taylor’s neighbors. He was fired by the department last June.
Jaynes was fired back in January, although he was not present the night of the deadly raid. In addition to fabricating the warrant, he is also accused of failing to complete a Search Warrant Operations Plan form.