Police Officer Who Shot Breonna Taylor Is Appealing To Get His Job Back
Myles Cosgrove, the Kentucky police officer who fired the fatal shot that killed Breonna Taylor, is appealing to get his job back.
Cosgrove killed Taylor after firing 16 rounds of bullets into her apartment on March 13, 2020.
Despite public outcry, Cosgrove was not formally dismissed from the police force until January 5, 2021, following a pre-termination hearing.
In her pre-termination letter, Chief Yvette Gentry stated that Cosgrove did not properly ‘identify a target’ and fired in ‘three distinctly different directions’.
Gentry went on to say at the pre-termination hearing, ‘I cannot justify your conduct nor in good conscience recommend anything less than termination.’
Cosgrove was part of a plain-clothes police squad who followed up a search warrant at Taylor’s apartment. They used a battering ram to force open her apartment door.
After hearing a disturbance, Taylor’s boyfriend Kenneth Walker fired one shot from his legally-owned gun, striking Seargent Jonathan Mattingly. Walker has stated that he did not know the intruders were police officers.
Mattingly, Cosgrove and Brett Hankison proceeded to fire into Taylor’s apartment. After FBI analysis, it was found that Cosgrove fired the fatal shot that killed the unarmed Taylor.
10 months agoAn investigation was then launched, with Taylor’s death sparking public outcry and protests against police brutality.
Following his dismissal, Cosgrove and his attorney submitted an appeal to the Louisville Metro Police Merit Board on January 10. His case will be heard this Tuesday, November 16.
Scott Miller, Cosgrove’s attorney, stated that their grounds for appeal was based on ‘the fact that another officer [Mattingly] who discharged his weapon after being confronted with the same threat identified by Detective Cosgrove was exonerated of any violation of the department’s use of deadly force policy, while Detective Cosgrove has been terminated’.
The Merit Board consists of five members, including two police officers and officials appointed by the mayor. The hearings resemble trials, with both parties stating their case.
If Cosgrove’s appeal is allowed, he may be demoted or suspended instead of fired. If his appeal is rejected, he will be able to move the case to circuit court, where a jury is present.
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Topics: News, Appeal, Breonna Taylor, police brutality, US
