Ex-Louisville Officer Testifies Hankison Fired 'Haphazardly' During Breonna Taylor Raid, Federal Trial Continues

Officers testify that Hankison's gunfire endangered neighbors and was done without clear visibility; this is the second attempt to convict Hankison, who was acquitted last year in state trial.

• Ex-Louisville officer Myles Cosgrove, who fatally shot Breonna Taylor during a botched raid in 2020, testified that Brett Hankison, a former fellow officer currently on trial, fired 'haphazardly' into the apartment. Some of Hankison's shots went into the neighboring unit and posed a danger to the occupants.
• Hankison, accused by the Justice Department of violating Taylor's civil rights, faced charges last year that could lead to a life sentence. Despite none of his bullets hitting anyone, prosecutors argued his reckless actions endangered Taylor, her boyfriend, and her neighbors.
• Cosgrove was fired from the Louisville police in 2021 for not 'properly identifying a target' during the raid and was later recruited by a Kentucky county sheriff’s department. Cosgrove confessed he fired at a figure he spotted at the end of a dark hallway, which turned out to be the unarmed Taylor.
• Federal prosecutors did not charge Cosgrove or another officer, Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly, stating their actions were justified as they were returning fire. This trial marks the second attempt to bring Hankison to justice for his conduct during the 2020 raid, after an acquittal in a state trial last year.
• Chelsey Napper, a neighbor who was seven months pregnant at the time of the raid, testified that she and her child nearly fell victim to the shooting. A stray bullet, she said, came within 1 to 2 feet of her son.

3 Articles

Washington Post Associated Press The Root