4 US police officers charged over death of Breonna Taylor

Four US police officers have been arrested and charged over the fatal 2020 shooting of Breonna Taylor.

Ms Taylor was killed in her home in Louisville, Kentucky by plainclothes police who were executing a “no-knock” search warrant.

The hospital worker, 26, was shot multiple times as officers stormed the apartment shortly after midnight as she was in bed with her boyfriend.

Her death sparked racial injustice protests around the country.

Only one officer involved in the raid – former Louisville detective Brett Hankinson – had been previously charged over the case.

But Mr Hankinson, who fired 10 shots during the incident, was acquitted by a jury earlier this year. He is among the four people to face new charges through the US Department of Justice.

The others are Joshua Jaynes, also a former officer, and current officers Kelly Hanna Goodlett and Kyle Meany.

Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the new charges on Thursday. He said the officers were being charged with civil rights offenses, unlawful conspiracy, unconstitutional use of force and obstruction.

Mr Garland added that three of the officers – all but Mr Hankinson – had been charged with falsification of a search warrant.

Mr Hankinson is charged with using excessive force by opening fire during the raid.

The search warrant obtained by police included Ms Taylor’s name and address. Authorities believed her ex-boyfriend, Jamarcus Glover, was involved in a drug ring and had used her apartment to hide narcotics.

No drugs were found at the property, though Jefferson County Prosecutor Thomas Wine said the search was cancelled after the shooting.

In 2020, the Taylor family sued Louisville police and reached a $12m (£9m) settlement.

Her death – along with that of two black men, George Floyd in Minnesota and Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia – sparked anti-racism protests across the US and the globe.

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It noted that Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) incorporated as a company in Nigeria with a minimum of two years of operating track record should be eligible to raise funds through a crowdfunding portal registered by the commission.

According to the commission, total fees payable to parties to a crowdfunding issue shall not exceed two per cent of the total funds raised.

The Commission noted that the maximum amount which might be raised by a medium enterprise shall not exceed N100 million.

“The maximum amount which may be raised by a small enterprise shall not exceed N70 million, and the maximum amount which may be raised by a micro-enterprise shall not exceed N50 million.

“The limits set forth above shall not apply to MSMEs operating as digital commodities investment platforms or such other MSMEs as may be designated by the Commission from time to time,” it stated.

The Commission explained that retail investors might not invest more than 10 per cent of their annual income in a calendar year.

According to the rule, crowdfunding portal that is located outside Nigeria will be considered as actively targeting Nigerian investors, if the operator or the operator’s representative, promotes directly or indirectly the platform in Nigeria.

It added that a crowdfunding portal might be registered and operated only by an operator registered with SEC as a Crowdfunding Intermediary.

The rule stressed that only entities registered with the Commission as an Exchange, dealer, broker, broker/dealer or alternative trading facility as prescribed under the Act and the SEC Rules and Regulations might be registered as a Crowdfunding Intermediary.

It added that crowdfunding portal or crowdfunding intermediary that failed to comply with the rules shall be liable to a fine of not less than N1 million and the sum of N10,000 for every day the violation continues.

(BBC)

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US police charged over death of Breonna Taylor