LOUISVILLE, Ky, — Former Louisville Metro Police Sgt. Kyle Meany knew Breonna Taylor appeared to be in a relationship with Kenneth Walker, not Jamarcus Glover, and that Walker had a concealed carry permit days before the deadly March 13, 2020, no-knock raid where police shot and killed the 26-year-old, according to a signed affidavit released Wednesday.
What You Need To Know
- LMPD Sgt. Kyle Meany knew Kenneth Walker lived with Breonna Taylor and had a concealed carry permit and hid the information from other officers, prosecutors said
- In an addendum to Kelly Goodlett's guilty plea, the government said the crucial information was hidden from officers and not included in the search warrant process
- Goodlett told prosecutors that fact would have "undermined the entire reason for the search"
The revelations came to light based on an addendum to Goodlett's guilty plea filed in August by the federal government. In it, investigators revealed Meany was conducting surveillance on March 11, 2020 when he found evidence of Walker and Taylor's relationship, as well as the fact that he had a concealed carry gun permit.
In LMPD's affidavit used in part to justify the no-knock raid, police alleged Taylor was in a relationship with Jamarcus Glover, the target of the raid. The information in Goodlett's guilty plea dispute that account.
The crucial information on Walker was withheld from officers, including Goodlett, the affidavit says. Goodlett told investigators that fact would have "undermined the entire reason for the search." Prosecutors said she would have "thrown a fit" if she'd known the information wasn't included in the falsified affidavit and search warrant used in March 2020.
The knowledge of a potentially-armed person at Taylor's apartment would have dramatically changed LMPD's approach to the search warrant process, Goodlett said.
Meany's surveillance uncovered information that presented more danger in serving the warrant, but the glaring omission of facts means Meany never told the cops executing the warrant and he never included it in the search warrant process.
With her guilty plea, Goodlett avoided indictment and will likely serve as a star witness in the trial of her two former colleagues, Kyle Meany and Joshua Jaynes. The two men were indicted by the FBI on civil rights charges in early August.
The former LMPD detective faces up to five years in prison. Her sentencing is tentatively set for 1 p.m. on Nov. 22.
Taylor was shot to death by officers who had knocked down her door while executing the no-knock search warrant. Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, fired a shot that hit one of the officers as they came through the door and they returned fire, striking Taylor multiple times.