(CNN) Miles Cosgrove, one of the Louisville Metro Police officers involved in the 2020 shooting death of Brona Taylor, was recently hired by the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, Cosgrove’s attorney told CNN.
The move prompted the family of Briana Taylor to release a statement expressing “disgust” and “disappointment” at the death of the officer, who was hired by the sheriff’s office about 50 miles from Louisville.
COSGROVE — DETECTIVE The bullet eventually killed Taylor According to the Kentucky Attorney General — began working at the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office on April 20, Sheriff Ryan Koser told CNN affiliate WAVE.
The sheriff told WAVE that his office conducted a routine background check before hiring Cosgrove, and pointed out that Cosgrove was never charged.
WAVE reports that Khosrow County brings useful experience.
Cosgrove’s attorney, Scott Miller, said his client was the scapegoat for Taylor’s shooting death.
“He’s been indicted by a state grand jury, a federal grand jury,” he said, adding, “His actions that night were training to react to police officers being shot at,” Miller said. “We provided expert testimony that he received adequate target identification and target isolation. The city did not provide any expert testimony. They have nothing in policy regarding that.”
Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron said Cosgrove was justified because Taylor’s boyfriend fired at the officers first.
The Louisville Metro Police Department fired Detective Cosgrove in January 2021 for firing 16 rounds into Taylor’s home and failing to activate his body camera.
Louisville Metro Police Merit Board in December 2021 supported the decision The decision to remove Cosgrove by a 5-2 vote came after days of deliberations.
Last November, the Kentucky Law Enforcement Council voted not to revoke Cosgrove’s state peace officer certification, according to Louisville television station WHAS.
The decision means he can apply for other law enforcement jobs in the state.
“The Kentucky Law Enforcement Council, made up of citizens, mayors, judge administrators, statewide police officers and educators, voted that he should not lose his police officer certification. [and] To be allowed to be a police officer in Kentucky,” Miller said.
Sam Aguiar, who represents Taylor’s family, said he was “disgusted” when he heard about 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 on Cosgrove’s actions. He concluded without a doubt that Cosgrove went to the ground and continued to shoot Briona when she was unarmed, and on the ground,” Aguiar said.
“Even if Carroll County were desperate to fill a position, due diligence should have prevented this task from happening. But unfortunately we know from Brona’s case and others in the police department, a lot of unqualified help is given to officers just because of a badge.”
When reached, the Louisville Metro Police Department had no comment by CNN.
Protesting Cosgrove’s appointment outside the sheriff’s office in Carrollton on Monday, the Carrollton Police Department confirmed to CNN. By midnight, CNN affiliate WAVE reported a small number of mostly Louisville residents.
“We have implemented our plans regarding civil unrest. Our agency has coordinated with other agencies that serve our city,” Carrollton Police Chief Michael Wilhoite said in a statement to CNN.
Carrollton Mayor Rob W. Adams addressed the controversial hiring on the city’s Facebook page.
“As many of you are aware, there has been some unrest in recent days regarding the recent hiring of the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office. We understand that groups plan to peacefully assemble and exercise their right to protest this decision,” Adams said. “The City of Carrollton is monitoring the situation closely and we have plans in place to ensure everyone’s safety, however we do not anticipate any issues.”
Meanwhile, Cosgrove, who has already started working for the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, will have to work two more years to receive his full retirement benefits, according to his attorney.
“He has a right to pursue a career. And he pursued a career for 20 years and did it honorably until Louisville was stopped by them as the scapegoat for this whole situation,” Miller said.
CNN’s Laura James contributed to this report.
