Federal Charges Dismissed in Breonna Taylor Case

0:00It's March 27. This is Durham News today, your AI-powered local news. A federal judge in Louisville, Kentucky has dismissed charges against two former police officers linked to the Brianna Taylor case, U.S. District Judge Charles Simpson throughout the case against Joshua James and Kyle Manie on Friday. They had been accused of falsifying the warrant used to enter Taylor's apartment back in March 2020. Prosecutors asked the judge last week to drop the charges in the interest of justice. The court had already removed some felony counts against the officers in earlier rulings. This follows high-profile federal charges announced by then Attorney General Mary Garland two years ago. Taylor's death at age 26 sparked massive protests nationwide that summer alongside the George Floyd killing. Her boyfriend fired at officers who battered down the door. Police fired back, hitting Taylor several times in the hallway. The warrant claimed Taylor was getting packages for a suspected drug dealer, her ex-boyfriend.

1:00James said he verified it with the postal service, but he hadn't. Meney signed off on it. James faced conspiracy and record falsification charges, plus civil rights misdemeanors. Meney was charged with lying to investigators. While this ends the federal case against these two, Brianna Taylor's story keeps fueling calls for police reform across the country.