November 2nd 2024.
A former Kentucky police detective has been convicted by a federal jury for using excessive force on Breonna Taylor during a drug raid gone wrong in 2020, resulting in her tragic death. The jury, consisting of 12 members, delivered their verdict late at night after previously clearing the defendant, Brett Hankison, of a charge of using excessive force on Taylor's neighbors. This is the first time a Louisville police officer involved in the raid has been convicted.
As the verdict was read around 9:30 p.m. on Friday, some members of the jury were in tears. Prior to this, they had informed the judge, in two separate messages, that they were deadlocked on the charge of using excessive force on Taylor. Despite this, they chose to continue deliberating. The jury, made up of six men and six women, spent over 20 hours deliberating for three days before reaching a decision.
During the raid, Hankison fired 10 shots at Taylor's door and windows, but fortunately, no one was hit. However, some of the shots did enter the neighboring apartment. The tragic death of the 26-year-old Black woman, coupled with the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May 2020, sparked protests against racial injustice across the nation.
In 2022, a separate jury was unable to reach a verdict on federal charges against Hankison, while in the same year, a jury acquitted him on state charges of wanton endangerment. The conviction against Hankison carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. Throughout the trial, the 48-year-old defendant argued that he was acting in self-defense to protect his fellow officers after Taylor's boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, fired at them when they broke down Taylor's door with a battering ram.
On Thursday, the jury sent a note to U.S. District Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings, asking if it was necessary for them to know if Taylor was alive at the time Hankison fired his shots. This was a point of contention during the closing arguments, with Hankison's lawyer, Don Malarcik, stating that the prosecution must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Taylor was alive when the shots were fired. In response, Jennings urged the jury to continue deliberating.
During the raid, Walker shot and injured one of the officers. Hankison testified that he moved away and fired his shots at Taylor's glass door and window after Walker fired at them. Meanwhile, the officers at the door also returned fire, tragically killing Taylor, who was in the hallway.
In their closing arguments, Hankison's lawyers emphasized that their client was acting in a highly tense and chaotic situation that lasted only 12 seconds. They also stressed that none of Hankison's shots hit anyone. In 2022, Hankison was one of four officers charged by the U.S. Department of Justice for violating Taylor's civil rights. However, only one of them has been convicted so far, as the others have either been acquitted or entered plea deals.
Malarcik, speaking during the closing arguments, focused on Taylor's boyfriend and his role in the events that unfolded. He pointed out that Walker never attempted to open the door or turn on the lights as the police were knocking, instead choosing to arm himself and hide in the darkness. Malarcik also stated that Hankison was just 12 inches away from being shot by Walker.
On the other hand, prosecutors argued that Hankison acted recklessly by firing 10 shots into doors and a window without being able to see his target. They emphasized that Hankison violated a fundamental rule of deadly force, which states that an officer cannot pull the trigger if they cannot see the person they are shooting at.
The two officers who shot at Taylor, John Mattingly and Myles Cosgrove, were not charged in her death. Both federal and state prosecutors have determined that their actions were justified as they were returning fire, since Taylor's boyfriend had shot at them first.
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