A former Louisville officer is expected to plead guilty to federal charges in connection to the 2020 police raid that killed Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman whose death fueled nationwide racial justice protests.
Earlier this month, federal charges were brought down by the U.S. Justice Department against four ex-Louisville detectives, including Kelly Goodlett, who is accused of helping falsify the search warrant that led to the deathly raid of Taylor’s home.
On Tuesday (August 23), Goodlett is scheduled to appear before U.S. District Court Judge Rebecca Grady in federal court and submit her plea to the charges, per Reuters.
Taylor and her boyfriend were in her apartment on March 13, 2020, when police conducted a no-knock raid and burst into her home. Taylor’s boyfriend said he shot once at who he believed were intruders.
Three officers fired back with 32 shots, six of which hit Taylor.
Days after the fatal police shooting, prosecutors allege that Goodlett and former colleague Joshua Jaynes met in a garage where they fabricated a story to cover their submission of the false evidence that justified the botched raid.
Federal prosecutors also brought down charges against Jaynes and current Sergeant Kyle Meany for civil rights violations and the obstruction of justice.
A fourth officer, former Detective Brett Hankison, faces federal civil rights charges for the alleged use of excessive force.
The charges mark the Justice Department’s efforts to crack down on racial disparities in policing, following the high-profile killings of Taylor, George Floyd in Minneapolis, Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia, and other Black Americans across the nation.
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