Former Louisville cop who fatally shot Breonna Taylor has been hired as deputy in Carroll County, about 50 miles from the city where she was killed.
The former Louisville Metropolitan Police Department detective who fatally shot Breonna Taylor during a botched raid at her apartment has been hired as a deputy in rural Kentucky.
Myles Cosgrove, one of two officers who shot Taylor in March 2020, was hired last week by the Carroll County Sheriff's Department, about 50 miles from Louisville.
The attorney for the Taylor family issued a statement Monday saying he was "disgusted" by the hiring.
“I was disappointed and disgusted to hear that an agency hired him. We had one of the best ballistics experts in the country review Cosgrove’s actions at length," said Sam Aguiar. "He concluded without a doubt that Cosgrove shot Breonna continuously while she was unarmed, going to the ground, and on the ground,” the lawyer said.
Carroll County Chief Deputy Rob Miller defended the hiring of Cosgrove to WLKY-TV, saying he was never charged with a crime and retained his state certification, allowing him to be retained by other law enforcement agencies in the state.
Cosgrove, who fired 16 shots during the raid, was later fired by the Louisville Metropolitan Police Department for use of deadly force and failing to activate his body camera, according to his termination letter.
In December 2021, the department's merit board upheld Cosgrove's firing by a 5-to-2 vote after several days of hearings.
An F.B.I. report determined Cosgrove had fired the shot that killed Taylor, a Black 26-year-old emergency room technician who wanted to become a nurse.
After police burst into her apartment while serving a no-knock warrant, Taylor's boyfriend had fired one round, striking an officer he thought was an intruder. Officers then opened fire, striking and killing the woman. In December, the city agreed to pay to $2 million to Kenneth Walker to settle two lawsuits he had filed against Louisville over the shooting.
Walker, Taylor's boyfriend, said he would be forever haunted by her killing, according to his attorney. Taylor's family reached a $12 million settlement with the city in September 2020.
On Monday, about two dozen demonstrators gathered outside the Carrollton courthouse to protest Cosgrove's hiring by the sheriff's department.
Morgan Zeyak said she was afraid the sheriff had hired a “trigger-happy” deputy.
“I hope we get him out of his position,” Zeyak, who is 21 and Black, told The New York Times. “I don’t feel comfortable with him on the police force," said the County resident.
Richard Beasley, who also lives in Carroll County, told WLKY-TV, "Why would you bring something like that to this town? It's just totally ridiculous."
In a statement, Breonna's mother, Tamika Palmer, said, “When are these cops going to stop protecting bad cops? The people in that county have now got a killer with a badge they’ve got to deal with.”
Inside Edition Digital has reached out for comment to Carroll County Sheriff Ryan Gosser and to Cosgrove's attorney.
