Former detective Brett Hankison found guilty of using excessive force on Breonna Taylor

A federal jury in the US has found a former Kentucky police detective guilty of using excessive force on Breonna Taylor during a botched drug raid in which she was shot and killed by police in 2020.

The 12-member jury returned its verdict late at night after exonerating Brett Hankison earlier in the evening on charges that he used excessive force on Ms Taylor’s neighbours.

This was the first conviction of a Louisville police officer involved in the deadly raid.

According to a 2020 report by the Louisville Metro Police Department, her past relationship with convicted drug dealer Jamarcus Glover led police to suspect her home was being used in drug dealing, a claim Glover denied.

Ms Taylor’s then-boyfriend Kenneth Walker said the pair were asleep when police raided the flat.

Hankison, 48, argued throughout the trial that he acted to protect fellow officers, including former Sergeant Jonathan Mattingly and former detective Myles Cosgrove, after Mr Walker opened fire on them when they broke down Ms Taylor’s door with a battering ram.

Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron said in 2020 that police knocked on the door and announced themselves to the agency, which he said was corroborated by an independent witness.

This contradicted a claim made in 2020 by licensed gun owner Mr Walker, who said they did not make it clear they were police before arriving at the flat (aka a “no-knock” order).

The verdict left the jury in tears

Some of the jury members burst into tears as the verdict was read at around 21.30 local time on Friday.

They had previously stated in two separate messages to the judge that they had reached an impasse on charges of using excessive force against Ms. Taylor, but chose to continue negotiating.

The six-male, six-female jury deliberated for more than 20 hours over three days.

Hankison fired 10 shots at Ms Taylor’s glass door and windows during the raid, but did not hit anyone.

Some gunshots flew towards the next door neighbor’s apartment next door.

Taylor’s death helped spark 2020 protests

The death of the 26-year-old unarmed Black woman was one of three cases that sparked racial injustice protests across the United States.

The others were George Floyd of Minneapolis and Ahmaud Arbery of Brunswick, Georgia.

While a separate jury last year deadlocked on federal charges against Hankison, a jury in 2022 acquitted Hankison of state wanton endangerment charges.

The conviction against Hankison carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.

That jury had sent a note to U.S. District Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings on Thursday asking whether they should have known whether Ms. Taylor was alive when Hankison fired.

That was a point of contention during closing arguments, when Hankison’s attorney, Don Malarcik, told the jury that when Hankison was fired, prosecutors “must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Ms. Taylor is alive.”

After the jury sent the question, Judge Jennings urged them to keep thinking.

Mr. Walker shot and wounded one of the officers. Hankison testified that Mr. Walker walked away when he fired, turned the corner of the apartment building, and fired at Ms. Taylor’s glass door and window.

Meanwhile, officers at the door returned fire from Mr. Walker, and one of Cosgrove’s shots killed Ms. Taylor.

He died within minutes and no drugs were found in the apartment.

The shooting lasted approximately 12 seconds

Hankison’s attorneys argued in closing arguments Wednesday that he acted properly in a “very tense, very chaotic environment” that lasted about 12 seconds.

They emphasized that Hankison’s shots did not hit anyone.

Hankison was one of four officers charged by the U.S. Department of Justice in 2022 with violating Ms. Taylor’s civil rights.

So far, those charges have yielded only one conviction: a plea deal by a former police officer who was not present at the raid and was a cooperating witness in another case.

Mr. Malarcik spoke at length during closing arguments about the role of Ms. Taylor’s boyfriend in firing the gun that struck former Sergeant Mattingly at the door.

He said Mr Walker never tried to come to the door or turn on the lights while police were knocking, instead arming himself and hiding in the dark.

“Brett Hankison was 12 inches (30 centimeters) away from being shot by Kenneth Walker,” Mr. Malarcik said.

Prosecutors said Hankison acted recklessly, firing 10 shots at doors and windows where he could not see the target.

In their closing arguments, they said Hankison “violated one of the most basic rules of deadly force: If they can’t see the person they’re shooting at, they can’t pull the trigger.”

None of the police officers who shot Ms. Taylor (former Sergeant Mattingly and former detective Cosgrove) were charged in connection with Ms. Taylor’s death.

Federal and state prosecutors said those officers were justified in returning fire because Ms. Taylor’s boyfriend opened fire on them first.

AP/ABC