Brett Hankison Faces Life Sentence Following Federal Jury Verdict
A former Kentucky police officer, Brett Hankison, was convicted on Friday of violating the civil rights of Breonna Taylor, the 26-year-old Black woman whose fatal shooting during a botched police raid in 2020 triggered widespread protests against racial injustice. The federal jury found Hankison guilty of civil rights violations for his role in the raid on Taylor’s apartment, ABC News reported.
Acquitted of Endangering Taylor’s Neighbors, Guilty of Rights Violations
The jury also considered a charge against Hankison for endangering Taylor’s neighbors by firing bullets into adjacent apartments but acquitted him on that count. His conviction for violating Taylor’s civil rights carries the potential of a life sentence, marking a significant outcome in a case that has fueled calls for policing reforms across the United States.
Following the verdict, attempts to reach representatives of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky, federal prosecutors, and Hankison’s defense attorney were unsuccessful.
Breonna Taylor’s Killing Sparks a Movement
Breonna Taylor, an emergency medical technician, was asleep in her Louisville apartment on March 13, 2020, when officers conducted a no-knock raid related to a drug investigation involving Taylor’s ex-boyfriend, who did not live at her residence. Her then-boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, fearing an intruder, fired a single shot from a handgun, striking an officer. In response, multiple officers returned fire, and Taylor was struck six times, fatally wounding her.
Taylor’s death, along with the killings of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery that same year, sparked an outpouring of anger and demands for racial justice reforms that echoed worldwide.
Background: Previous Trials and Civil Rights Charges
Hankison, who fired 10 bullets during the raid without hitting anyone, was the only officer to face criminal charges in connection with Taylor’s death. In 2022, a Kentucky state court acquitted him on charges of endangering Taylor’s neighbors, a verdict that was widely criticized by activists and supporters of Taylor’s family.
Almost a year ago, Hankison’s first federal civil rights trial ended in a mistrial. This time, however, the jury’s decision brought a conviction, underscoring the significance of holding law enforcement accountable for actions that lead to civilian casualties.
