LOUISVILLE, KY – A federal jury late Friday convicted Brett Hankison, a former Louisville detective, of using excessive force during the 2020 raid that led to the death of Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman.
The raid, which was initially intended as a drug bust, resulted in Taylor’s death and ignited national protests over racial injustice and police reform, according to the Huffington Post.
The 12-member jury, said HuffPost, reached a late-night verdict Friday, marking the first conviction of an officer involved in Taylor’s death. Hankison was found guilty after the jury deliberated for more than 20 hours across three days, concluding he fired recklessly through Taylor’s glass door and windows, despite not having a clear target.
This conviction carries a maximum sentence of life in prison, and Hankison is scheduled for sentencing on March 12, 2025.
As the verdict was read, Taylor’s mother, Tamika Palmer, expressed relief and gratitude for the outcome, the HuffPost wrote.
“It took a lot of time. It took a lot of patience. It was hard. The jurors took their time to really understand that Breonna deserved justice,” Palmer said, surrounded by family and friends outside the courthouse.
In the moments following the verdict, civil rights leader Bernice King, daughter of Martin Luther King, Jr., called the decision, said the HuffPost, “a long-awaited moment of accountability. While it cannot restore Breonna to her family, it represents a crucial step in the pursuit of justice and a reminder that no one should be above the law.”
During the trial, Hankison’s defense argued, wrote the HuffPost, that he was reacting to the threat posed by Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, who fired his own weapon, injuring one of the officers as they broke into Taylor’s apartment. However, prosecutors contended Hankison’s decision to fire 10 shots without a clear view of his target was both reckless and a violation of standard police protocols on the use of deadly force.
The case highlighted ongoing issues surrounding the accountability of police actions, said the HuffPost, noting prosecutors emphasized that officers are trained to never fire unless they can clearly identify a target. “If they cannot see the person they’re shooting at, they cannot pull the trigger,” prosecutors stated during closing arguments, underscoring the risks of indiscriminate firing in residential areas.
The conviction comes after Hankison was acquitted on state charges of wanton endangerment in 2022, and a separate jury was deadlocked on similar federal charges last year, reported HuffPost.
Hankison’s case was part of a larger investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice, which charged him and three other officers in 2022 with violating Taylor’s civil rights. His verdict follows the first conviction in the case, a plea deal from an officer who cooperated as a witness.
HuffPost wrote the jury ultimately found that his actions exceeded the bounds of justifiable force, underscoring a critical moment in the fight for justice in police accountability and reform.
