Ex-police officer found guilty of violating Breonna Taylor’s rights during deadly raid

former Kentucky police officer Brett Hankison He was found guilty Friday night of violating Breonna Taylor’s civil rights during the raid on her apartment that resulted in her death in 2020.

Verdict first guilty provision Upon Taylor’s death, the jury ruled in favor of Hankison. A different jury deadlocked in the case last year, resulting in a mistrial and he was found not guilty of wanton endangerment in 2022. According to the Associated Press.

The new jury deliberated for more than 20 hours over three days and told the judge twice that they, too, were deadlocked. However, they were asked to continue deliberating and eventually came to a decision.

Hankison was accused of violating Taylor’s civil rights and his neighbor’s rights through the use of excessive force, but was found not guilty Friday of violating his neighbor’s rights. Prosecutors had alleged that Hankison blindly fired into Taylor’s home during the raid, but he was not charged with Taylor’s death because none of his shots hit anyone.

The former Kentucky police officer said he had to act quickly and use his judgment because he thought his fellow officers were being killed. But prosecutors said he “violated one of the most basic rules of using deadly force: If they can’t see the person they’re shooting at, they can’t pull the trigger.”

The raid on Taylor’s house was actually aimed at her boyfriend, who was living at a different address at the time. Her boyfriend was at her home at the time of the raid, but he said he believed someone was breaking in and shot at the cops.

No sentencing date has been set for Hankison so far, but he faces life in prison upon conviction.

Taylor’s death fueled the Black Lives Matter movement, which culminated in riots against police officers in the summer of 2020.

Misty Severi is the evening news reporter for Just The News. you can follow him on x for greater coverage.