Watch CBS News

Fired Louisville officer whose shot killed Breonna Taylor hired elsewhere as deputy

DOJ: Louisville police violated civil rights
DOJ finds Louisville police violated civil rights in Breonna Taylor case 04:13

Louisville, Ky. — The former Louisville Metro Police officer who fatally shot Breonna Taylor has a new job in law enforcement.

CBS Louisville affiliate WLKY-TV reports that the Carroll County Sheriff's Office hired Myles Cosgrove, who was fired from the Louisville department in January 2021 for violating use-of-force procedures and failing to use a body camera during the raid on Taylor's apartment.

Carroll County is northeast of Louisville, about halfway between Louisville and Cincinnati.   

Taylor, a Black woman, was killed March 13, 2020 by police executing a narcotics search warrant. None of the three White officers who fired into Taylor's home were charged by a grand jury in her death.

Carroll County's Chief Deputy Robert Miller pointed to that in reference to Cosgrove's hiring.

myles-cosgrove.jpg
Now fired Louisville Metro Police Department officer Myles Cosgrove in undated photo. Louisville Metro Police Department

Investigators said Cosgrove fired 16 rounds into the apartment after the front door was breached and Taylor's boyfriend fired a shot at them. Federal ballistics experts said they believe the shot that killed Taylor came from Cosgrove.

In November, the Kentucky Law Enforcement Council voted not to revoke Cosgrove's state peace officer certification. That meant he could apply for other law enforcement jobs in the state.

Miller told WLKY Cosgrove was hired as a deputy Thursday and that he was already on active duty.

When asked by the station about possible community reaction to the hiring, Miller said the department knows "there will be opinions on both sides of the equation."

A protest in Carroll County has already been planned on Monday in response to his hiring.

Miller told WLKY his department also took into consideration that Cosgrove was executing the warrant as ordered during the raid on Taylor's apartment.

0824-ctm-breonna-taylor-vo-1226228-640x360.jpg
Breonna Taylor in undated photo. CBS News

The decision to hire him was based on his long-term experience as an officer and his technical skills, which the Carroll County department believes could benefit a small county sheriff's department, such as Carroll County's, Miller said.

"We're going to give him a chance," Miller said.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.