Former Louisville police officer Brett Hankison has been sentenced to 33 months in prison for violating Breonna Taylor’s civil rights during a botched 2020 raid that resulted in her death and helped spark nationwide protests against racial injustice and police brutality.
U.S. District Judge Rebecca Jennings handed down the sentence after Hankison was convicted in November 2024 of using excessive force in the deadly raid. He is the only officer convicted in direct connection with the fatal operation. He will also serve three years of supervised release following his prison term.
Taylor, a 26-year-old Black medical worker, was shot and killed in her own apartment during a late-night “no-knock” police raid. Officers believed her home was being used by a former boyfriend to store narcotics, though none were found.
During the raid, Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, fired a single shot believing intruders were breaking in, striking one officer. Officers responded with 32 bullets. Although Hankison’s 10 rounds did not strike anyone, they entered a neighboring apartment where a pregnant woman, a child, and another man were sleeping. Prosecutors argued that Hankison acted recklessly and violated basic rules of the use of deadly force.
“His use of deadly force was unlawful and put Ms. Taylor in harm’s way,” former U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said at the time of Hankison’s conviction. “This verdict is an important step toward accountability.”
Tamika Palmer, Taylor’s mother, expressed mixed feelings after the sentencing. “I think the judge did the best she could with what she had to work with,” she said. However, she criticized federal prosecutors, now under the Trump administration, for pushing for a mere one-day sentence. “Every American who believes in equal justice under the law should be outraged,” attorneys for the family added.
The Trump administration, which took office after Hankison’s conviction, stunned many by recommending the one-day sentence. The Justice Department argued that Hankison did not fire the shots that killed Taylor and was not directly responsible for her death. The recommendation was signed by Harmeet Dhillon, Trump’s appointee to lead the Civil Rights Division.
This marked a sharp departure from the Biden-era Justice Department, which had brought the charges and was pursuing widespread police accountability reforms. Since Trump’s return to office, the administration has begun rolling back civil rights investigations into local police departments, including efforts in Louisville and Minneapolis.
Another former officer, Kelly Goodlett, who admitted to helping falsify the warrant application used in the raid, is scheduled to be sentenced next year.
Outside the courthouse on Monday, protesters chanted Taylor’s name as tensions flared. Several demonstrators, including Taylor’s aunt, Bianca Austin, were detained.
Bianca Austin, Breonna Taylor’s aunt, is arrested outside the courthouse while protesting. Photo/Courtesy: REUTERS
Walker, Taylor’s boyfriend, said after the sentencing: “I’m grateful for the small piece of justice we got, but the fight isn’t over.”
Written By Rodney Mbua
