LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A former Louisville Metro Police Department detective has been fighting to get his job back after he was involved in the raid which led to Breonna Taylor's death. A judge recently ruled against Myles Cosgrove's appeal.
Cosgrove was fired in January 2021 for use of excessive force after he fired 16 shots into Breonna Taylor's apartment, including the shot that killed Taylor, during a botched raid in March 2020.
Police said Cosgrove failed to identify a target during the incident, which led to one of Cosgrove’s rounds fatally wounding Taylor.
LMPD’s Merit Board upheld the decision to terminate Cosgrove with a 5-2 vote in December 2021.
On Feb. 24, Judge Melissa Logan Bellows in Jefferson Circuit Court issued an order stating the decision by LMPD’s Merit Board was justified, denying Cosgrove’s appeal.
The judge said the principles of "target identification" and "target isolation" are not just an expectation for police, but even normal citizens should exercise the "highest degree of care" in determining whether or not they are shooting at a legitimate target.
In his termination letter, former Interim LMPD Chief Yvette Gentry said Cosgrove did not properly identify a target when he fired over a dozen times into Taylor's Louisville apartment.
In violation of standard operating procedure, Cosgrove also failed to activate his body camera prior to executing the search warrant.
Cosgrove said that "he should be held to a less stringent standard than an ordinary Kentucky resident, despite having considerably more legal privileges," according to court documents.
In November, the Kentucky Law Enforcement Council voted not to revoke Cosgrove’s state peace officer certification, which means he could get a job in another agency in the Commonwealth.
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