Breonna Taylor shooting: Kentucky ex-cop Brett Hankison now faces federal charges over deadly raid
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY: Prosecutors to conduct retrial in a former Kentucky cop's controversial fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor during a March 13, 2020, apartment raid. Brett Hankison, a Louisville, Kentucky police was sacked and arrested for firing 10 rounds of bullets while executing a "no-knock" search warrant.
Hankison was charged with wanton endangerment after firing shots through an adjacent apartment endangering a pregnant neighbor, her young child, and her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker. An August 21, trial date has been set for the ex-officer facing federal charges. Previously, a jury had cleared him of all state charges in early 2022 while the federal charges include the endangerment of neighbors, the victim, and her boyfriend. If convicted, Hankison faces maximum life in prison sentence over the deadly police raid.
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What really happened?
Alongside Hankison, three other cops were fired and face federal charges after they allegedly gave false information to obtain a search warrant for Taylor's apartment, reported The Sun. Charges against Hankison and ex-cops Joshua Jaynes, Kyle Meany, and Kelly Hanna Goodlett include civil rights violations, conspiracy, use of excessive force offenses, and obstruction. On the night of the fatal shooting, the four Louisville police officers claimed the search was part of a drug investigation, however, no drugs were found at the crime scene.
Taylor, a 26-year-old emergency room aide was sleeping with her boyfriend when the officers tried to break into her apartment using a ram to gain entry. Although the police claim they announced themselves several times, things swiftly turned awry after Walker fired a single round of shots at the officers, prompting them to fire back, which killed Taylor. Whilst the other officers fired a single shot, Hankison fired additional 10 rounds saying he did so to save his fellow officers. He is the only officer charged with her fatal shooting after Taylor was shot six times.
'Unlawful conduct!'
The three officers came under scrutiny after they tried to cover up their "unlawful conduct" and "conspired to mislead federal, state, and local authorities who were investigating the incident." Jayne who filed for the false warrant allegedly lied in the affidavit and was fired from duty on January 2021. Meany, the sergeant in charge of Goodlett and Jaynes’ team was responsible for overseeing the investigation. However, all three were charged with violating Taylor's Fourth Amendment rights, due to their roles in writing and submitting a false affidavit to secure a search warrant.