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A former Louisville police officer who opened fire during the deadly raid of Breonna Taylor's apartment has been sentenced to nearly three years in prison.
On Monday (July 21), U.S. District Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings sentenced ex-officer Brett Hankison to 33 months in prison and three years of supervised probation for using excessive force during the 2020 raid, per Politico.
On March 13. 2020, Hankison fired 10 shots into Taylor's window and glass door as officers conducted a botched raid of her apartment. Some of the shots hit a neighboring apartment, but no one was injured. Hankison's colleague, Myles Cosgrove, fired the shots that killed Taylor, though he was never convicted of her killing. Hankison was the only officer on the scene to be charged in Taylor's death and is the first person to be sentenced to prison in connection with the case.
In a sentencing memo last week, the Justice Department recommended that Hankison receive no jail time, saying “there is no need for a prison sentence to protect the public” from the ex-officer. Federal prosecutors suggested time already served, which amounts to one day, and three years of supervised probation for Hankison.
Jennings declined the Justice Department's recommendation, stating it was "not appropriate" given his actions. The judge said she was "startled" that more people weren't injured in the raid, adding that the DOJ was treating Hankison's excessive force as "an inconsequential crime."
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump had called the DOJ's recommendation “an insult to the life of Breonna Taylor and a blatant betrayal of the jury’s decision.” Following Hankison's sentencing, Crump yelled outside the courthouse “Say Her name,” to which the crowd responded, “Breonna Taylor!”
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