Topline
Former Louisville Police Department Officer Brett Hankison – the only officer to be charged in connection with the March 2020 police shooting death of Breonna Taylor – was acquitted by a jury Thursday of endangering Taylor’s neighbors.
Protesters march against police brutality in Los Angeles, on September 23, 2020, following a … [+]
Key Facts
Hankison faced three counts of wanton endangerment after shots he fired during the raid went through Taylor’s apartment and into a neighboring unit where a pregnant woman, her boyfriend and a 5-year-old child slept.
During testimony, the then-pregnant woman Chelsey Napper described feeling as if bullets were “flying everywhere” as she ducked down with her son on the floor, according to the New York Times.
Hankison pleaded not guilty, and testified during the trial that he fired into Taylor’s apartment from through a window and sliding glass door after hearing gunshots and incorrectly believing officers inside were engaged in a shootout.
The Louisville Metro Police Department fired Hankison in June 2020, and Acting Louisville Metro Police Chief Robert Schroeder wrote in a letter that Hankison had violated department policies on using deadly force when he “blindly” shot 10 rounds into Taylor’s apartment (three of those shots entered her neighbor’s unit).
Key Background
Hankison was the only police officer involved in the deadly raid to face any charges. In September 2020, a grand jury declined to indict Myles Cosgrove and Jonathan Mattingly, the two officers whose shots struck Taylor. Taylor was killed in a raid on her apartment organized by officers investigating her ex-boyfriend, who they believed was selling drugs. When the officers came into the apartment, Taylor’s boyfriend Kenneth Walker said he believed they were intruders and fired a shot that hit a police officer. (Louisville officers say they banged on the door and announced their arrival, which Walker said he did not hear). Cosgrove and Mattingly returned fire. Taylor’s death fueled international protests against racism and police brutality along with the murder of George Floyd, who was killed by a police officer in Minneapolis two months after Taylor’s death.
Further Reading
Officer Acquitted of Endangering Taylor’s Neighbors During Raid (New York Times)
Officer Charged In Breonna Taylor Raid Pleads Not Guilty (Forbes)
Officer In Breonna Taylor Case Charged With ‘Wanton Endangerment’—Here’s What That Means (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2022/03/03/former-louisville-police-officer-acquitted-of-endangering-breonna-taylors-neighbors-in-fatal-raid/