Kent. Detective With Search Warrant for EMT Breonna Taylor Put on Leave

New York Daily News

The Louisville police detective who applied for the “no-knock” search warrant that led to the shooting death of Breonna Taylor has been placed on administrative leave, a city official announced Wednesday morning.

Det. Joshua Jaynes will be reassigned until investigators can determine how and why the warrant was sought and approved, Acting Police Chief Robert Schroeder told reporters at a news conference.

Schroeder also said the FBI is now involved with the investigation.

“This is all part of the process of getting to the truth of what happened that night and leading up to that night,” he said. “I recognize the process takes longer than we would all want, but it’s what must be done to ensure a thorough and fair investigation for everybody involved.”

The warrant stemmed from a drug case that did not involve Taylor, a black EMT worker whose death has helped fuel the ongoing protests across the country.

The court-approved warrant allowed a team of plainclothes police officers to enter her apartment in the middle of the night on March 13 without any warning.

Taylor, 26, was sleeping with her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, when cops entered her home and a chaotic scene ensued. Walker, a licensed gun owner, apparently thought it was a home invasion and used his firearm in self-defense, an attorney for her family has said.

He ended up getting shot in the leg and is expected to recover, but Taylor was shot eight times and was pronounced dead a short time later.

The drug investigation apparently involved a suspect who allegedly received packages at that same address years earlier.

Jaynes joins at least three other Louisville cops who had previously been placed on leave for their role in Taylor’s death.

One of them, Officer Brett Hankison, is also the target of a sexual misconduct investigation. Two women posted their claims on social media last week, accusing Hankinson of assaulting them while they were intoxicated or unconscious.