DOJ asks judge to drop charges against 2 officers in Breonna Taylor case

ABC News
March 21, 2026
3 min read

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The Bottom Line

The DOJ is asking a judge to dismiss federal charges against two officers in the Breonna Taylor case, eliminating the only federal criminal prosecution.

AI Summary

The Department of Justice has asked a federal court to dismiss charges against two former Louisville police officers accused of submitting false information on the search warrant that preceded the March 2020 raid on Breonna Taylor's apartment. The officers—Brett Hankison and Joshua Jaynes—faced federal charges related to their roles in obtaining the warrant that led to Taylor's fatal shooting by police during the no-knock raid. The DOJ motion, if granted, would effectively end the only federal criminal case arising from Taylor's death, a case that drew national attention to police accountability and qualified immunity. Taylor, a 26-year-old emergency medical technician, was killed when officers fired into her home during the warrant execution; the case became a rallying point for police reform advocates nationwide. The motion marks a significant turn in the federal government's prosecution of the officers involved in the incident.

What's Being Done

The Department of Justice has filed a motion to dismiss charges against former Louisville police officers Brett Hankison and Joshua Jaynes in federal court.

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