Breonna Taylor’s mother has spoken out after the Department of Justice moved to drop charges against two police officers connected to the warrant that led to her daughter’s death.
“She was killed because of their lies and negligence, and somebody should be held accountable,” Tamika Palmer said in a Tuesday (March 25) interview with ABC News.
According to The New York Times, the DOJ asked for the charges against Kyle Meany and Joshua Jaynes to be dismissed “in the interest of justice.” The charges were originally filed by former Attorney General Merrick Garland during the Biden administration. Although Meany and Jaynes were not present during the shooting, they were accused of falsifying documents used to obtain the no-knock warrant.
On March 13, 2020, Breonna Taylor was in the apartment she shared with her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, when plainclothes Louisville Metro Police officers forced their way inside while searching for drugs. Believing the officers were intruders, Walker fired one shot, and police returned fire, killing Taylor. No drugs were found in the apartment.
Taylor’s death, along with the killing of George Floyd, sparked nationwide protests against racial injustice in 2020. The decision to drop the charges has drawn criticism, including from Kristen Clarke, who previously led the DOJ’s civil rights division and called the move “indefensible.”
Palmer also responded to the decision, saying her daughter does not get the chance to “move forward,” and that every day still feels like the day Taylor was killed.
