Federal Jury Begins Deliberations in Breonna Taylor Civil Rights Case

Former Louisville Officer Brett Hankison Faces Potential Life Sentence if Convicted

Federal jury deliberations have begun in the trial of former Louisville police detective Brett Hankison, who is accused of violating Breonna Taylor’s civil rights and using excessive force during a March 2020 apartment raid that resulted in her death.
Hankison is accused of firing blindly into a covered window and door after two fellow officers exchanged gunfire with Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker.
Hankison’s attorneys argue that their client, a veteran officer, was doing his job to protect his fellow officers from an imminent threat.
The case marks the first federal trial against any of the officers involved in the shooting of Taylor.
Hankison, a 17-year veteran of the Louisville Metro Police Department, faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted.