An ex-officer from Kentucky was found not guilty of the charges that he endangered neighbor’s property during an attempted drug raid that led to Taylor’s death.
After hearing closing arguments from defense and prosecution attorneys, the panel of eight men (and four women) delivered their verdict on Brett Hankison’s case in about three hours.
Taylor’s death was not indicted by any of the officers who were involved in the raid on March 13, 2020. Hankison didn’t fire any of those bullets that struck the 26-year old Black woman. The possibility of any state criminal charges against any officer involved in the raid is likely closed by his acquittal. Federal authorities are investigating whether any of the officers violated his civil right.
Tamika Palmer, Taylor’s mother and a small group of close friends and family departed quickly, without commenting on the verdict.
Hankison didn’t appear in the courtroom when the verdict was read. Stewart Mathews, Hankison’s attorney, said that he and Hankison were “thrilled.”
Mathews was asked what could have convinced the jury to go for him. He replied that it was the fact that he was doing the job of a police officer.
Barbara Maines Whaley, Assistant Kentucky Attorney General, said that she respects the verdict and had no other comment.
In opening statements, the prosecution stressed that Taylor’s death and the decisions made by police in the raid case were irrelevant. The jurors were shown one image of Taylor’s body, which was barely visible at the end.
Taylor was settling down to bed when officers knocked at her door. Taylor was shot several times in the hallway, and she died on the spot.
Protesters flooded the streets for months after the Kentucky Attorney General David Cameron declined to bring charges against any officers involved in Taylor’s death. Taylor’s and Ahmaud Abery’s names — both Black men who were killed in police encounters — were used as rallying calls for racial justice in the 2020 nationwide protests.
Sadiqa Reynolds was president and CEO at the Louisville Urban League. She said that the verdict did not surprise her. She explained that black residents in the city had been experiencing “a certain amount” of frustration since Taylor’s death had not been investigated by an officer.
“I believe there are many people who are disappointed. It’s very disappointing, but it’s not surprising,” she stated. It doesn’t feel like a bright day for Black people or for the entire community.
Louisville Mayer Greg Fischer stated that the verdict increased the anger and frustration of many people over the inability of finding more accountability for the tragic events on March 13, 2020.
He stated that while the conduct in the case wasn’t specific to Breonna Taylor’s death, it was still the fact that she shouldn’t have died that night.
Fischer highlighted some of the improvements the Louisville metro government made since Taylor’s passing, including banning no-knock warrants as well as conducting a top to bottom review of the police department.
Hankison, 45 was charged with three counts for wanton endangerment after firing through Taylor’s sliding-glass side doors during the raid. Hankison was charged with three counts of wanton endangerment for firing through a neighboring apartment’s wall. Hankison also threatened the lives of a pregnant mother, her child, and her boyfriend, who lived in the apartment.
Hankison’s lawyers never challenged the ballistics evidence. However, Hankison claimed that he fired 10 shots because he believed his fellow officers were being executed.
Sgt. John Mattingly was struck in the leg with a bullet from a gun Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker fired. He claimed he believed intruders were breaking into his home.
Mathews stated that Hankison was acquitted because the jury believed that if you go out and do your duty, and your brother is shot, then you have a right of defense.” It’s as simple as that.
Louisville Police fired Hankison for blindly shooting during the raid. When asked if he had done anything wrong during the raid, Hankison replied, “Absolutely no.”
Taylor was killed by Mattingly, a fellow officer Myles Colsgrove in the fight to put out the flames.
Mattingly, Cosgrove and others declined to testify at Hankison’s trial. They invoked their Fifth Amendment rights as a result of an ongoing FBI civil right investigation. FBI investigators are currently holding Hankison’s handgun, along with other evidence from the scene, but the gun was loaned out to prosecutors for use at trial.
Last year, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that it was investigating the city’s police force for possible discrimination and its use of search warrant policies and force.
On Thursday evening, around 20 protestors gathered in Louisville’s Jefferson Square Park to protest the verdict. The square was transformed into an impromptu meeting place for protestors during months of demonstrations in 2020.
Cheyenne Osuala was there with Taylor’s family to witness the trial. She said that she was shocked when she heard the verdict.
Osuala stated that they believed there was no way we could return with a guilty verdict. “We have gotten nothing,” Osuala said. Even though it was a small conviction, it would have been at least something.
