In March 2022, former police officer Brett Hankison was found not guilty of endangering neighbors during a raid that left Breonna Taylor dead in 2020 in Louisville.
Taylor was killed during a knock and announce drug raid on March 13, 2020 during which her boyfriend shot at police and they returned fire. LMPD Sgt. Jon Mattingly was shot during the exchange and has now recovered.
Breonna Taylor
Later that year, in September 2020, Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron announced there would be no charges filed against two of the Louisville police officers involved in the shooting of Breonna Taylor, while the third was charged with “wanton endangerment.”
Detective Brett Hankison was later indicted on three counts of “wanton endangerment in the first degree” by a grand jury for endangering neighbors when he fired shots into an apartment during the deadly 2020 drug raid. Hankinson was charged with three counts of wanton endangerment for firing through sliding-glass side doors and a window of Taylor’s apartment during the raid that left the 26-year-old Black woman dead.
Wanton endangerment is a Class D felony, punishable by one to five years in prison.
A jury later found Hankison not guilty on all three counts of felony wanton endangerment. According to Local CBS, Hankison’s attorneys never contested the ballistics evidence, but said he fired 10 bullets because he thought his fellow officers were “being executed.
But Brett Hankison was recently back in court and faced charges that he violated the civil rights of Breonna Taylor who was killed during the police raid.
On Friday a federal jury found Hankison guilty of violating Breonna Taylor’s civil rights when she was killed during the raid. Hankison was charged again with violating the rights of Taylor and her neighbors when he fired into the apartment during the raid.
The jury acquitted Hankison of violating the neighbors’ rights. But then came back and found Hankison guilty of violating the civil rights of Breonna Taylor.
He could now face life in prison.
The family says the fight is not over.
WLKY in Louisville reported:
