The suit, filed Wednesday, alleges that Cosgrove should not have been fired following the raid. The suit also says the board’s 5-2 vote on December 2021 upholding his firing was “arbitrary and unlawful due to actions in excess of its authority or in violation of due process,” according to the Courier-Journal in Louisville.
Cosgrove was dismissed from the force for failing to “properly identify a target” when he fired over a dozen shots into Taylor’s home in the March 2020 raid. He maintains that he acted properly and as other officers would have, the Courier-Journal reported.
Last month, Brett Hankison, another former Louisville police officer involved in the raid, which ignited protests across the country, was acquitted of charges of wanton endangerment over shots he fired that went through a wall and into the residence next door. The city saw protests after it was announced last August that charges directly related to Taylor’s death would not be filed against any of the officers involved.
At the time, the Louisville Metro Police Department told Newsweek it does not comment on ongoing legal proceedings, and said that “the events of March 13, 2020 are still painful for many, and since then LMPD has prioritized rebuilding trust with the communities that we serve.”
Cosgrove’s lawsuit alleges that the board failed to consider several pieces of information when it upheld his firing. They include an alleged conflict of interest of one of the board members, which was not identified, that should have led to his recusal. The suit also cites a ruling from Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron that Cosgrove was legally justified in firing into the home after Taylor’s boyfriend fired a shot, the Courier-Journal reported.
Cosgrove, Hankison and Jonathan Mattingly fired a total of 32 rounds into the apartment, six of which struck Taylor. The FBI determined that the one fired by Cosgrove was the fatal shot.
Cosgrove and Hankison were later fired from LMPD, and Mattingly eventually retired, according to WLKY-TV. Cosgrove’s suit requests that he be reinstated with back pay, WLKY reported.
An analysis of the review board that oversees the appeals process that Cosgrove previously lost conducted by the Courier-Journal showed that the board has not overturned a single termination it has reviewed since 2015.
Another fired officer, Joshua Jaynes, a detective who was fired for false statements on the search warrant that led to the raid on Taylor’s home and also lost an appeal to the same review board, is also challenging his termination with a circuit court lawsuit, the Courier-Journal reported.
Update 4/14/22, 6:05 p.m. ET: This story has been updated with additional information and background.
