Ex-Officer Sentenced in Breonna Taylor Raid Case

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Ex-Officer Sentenced in Breonna Taylor Raid Case \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ A federal judge sentenced ex-Louisville officer Brett Hankison to nearly three years in prison for using excessive force during the 2020 Breonna Taylor raid. The DOJ had recommended no prison time, a suggestion the judge firmly rejected. Civil rights advocates and Taylor’s family expressed mixed reactions but welcomed the accountability.

Quick Looks

Brett Hankison sentenced to 33 months in prison for excessive force during 2020 raid.
Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings overruled DOJ’s request for no prison time.
Hankison fired 10 blind shots that endangered a neighboring family.
He is the first person to be imprisoned in connection to Taylor’s death.
The DOJ sought only time served and probation, citing lack of injury.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump and Taylor’s family condemned DOJ’s stance.
Judge criticized DOJ’s arguments as “incongruous and inappropriate.”
Taylor’s mother said prosecutors acted more like a defense team.
Hankison previously faced acquittal and a mistrial in related proceedings.
Other officers tied to a falsified warrant have yet to face trial.

Deep Look

For the first time since the 2020 killing of Breonna Taylor ignited national protests against racial injustice and police brutality, a law enforcement officer involved in the raid has been sentenced to prison. On Monday, U.S. District Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings handed former Louisville police officer Brett Hankison a sentence of 33 months in prison, rejecting a controversial Justice Department recommendation that he receive no jail time.

Hankison, 49, was convicted of using excessive force for firing 10 blind shots during the botched drug raid that left Taylor dead. Although his bullets did not strike Taylor or anyone else, they tore through her apartment and into a neighboring unit, narrowly missing an innocent family.

The decision marks a significant moment in the prolonged legal saga surrounding Taylor’s death and the ensuing debates about police accountability. Hankison becomes the first person sentenced to prison in connection with the raid, which drew global attention and spurred weeks of protest in Louisville and beyond.

Judge Rebukes DOJ Recommendation

Jennings, who presided over multiple trials involving Hankison, expressed deep frustration with the Justice Department’s recommendation that he serve no prison time and instead receive probation. “No prison time is not appropriate,” she said from the bench, adding that such leniency would undermine the jury’s decision and suggest that Hankison’s conduct was “an inconsequential crime.”

The judge described being “startled” that more people weren’t injured, calling his actions reckless and unjustifiable even in the chaotic context of the raid. “That does not allow officers to then do what they want and be excused,” she added.

The Justice Department, under new leadership since President Donald Trump’s return to office in January, had shifted its stance on Hankison. After years of pursuing his prosecution, DOJ attorneys suddenly advocated for leniency. In a sentencing memo, they wrote that although Hankison’s actions were unreasonable, “they did not kill or wound Breonna Taylor, her boyfriend, her neighbors, defendant’s fellow officers, or anyone else.”

Federal prosecutors also cited Hankison’s PTSD, concerns about his safety in prison, and the fact that two previous trials (a state trial in 2022 and a federal trial in 2023) resulted in no convictions, as reasons to minimize punishment.

Civil Rights Attorneys and Family React

Outside the courthouse, Ben Crump, the civil rights attorney who represented Taylor’s family in their $12 million settlement with the city of Louisville, voiced both relief and frustration.

“I had hoped for more time,” Crump said, “but I’m grateful that [Hankison] is at least going to prison and has to think for those three years about Breonna Taylor and that her life mattered.”

Crump led a group of supporters in a now-familiar chant: “Say her name.” The crowd responded: “Breonna Taylor!”

Taylor’s mother, Tamika Palmer, expressed disappointment in the federal prosecutors. She accused them of siding with Hankison’s defense more than pursuing justice. “There was no prosecution in there for us,” she said. “Brett had his own defense team. I didn’t know he got a second one.”

Palmer also questioned why lead federal prosecutor Rob Keenan repeatedly agreed with the defense on sentencing factors during the hearing. “It just showed us where they stood,” she added.

The Raid and Its Fallout

The fatal raid occurred in March 2020 during a narcotics investigation. Louisville officers executed a controversial no-knock warrant at Taylor’s apartment. Although her boyfriend fired a shot, believing intruders were breaking in, Taylor was killed when two officers returned fire.

Hankison was not one of the officers who shot Taylor. However, his 10 stray bullets, fired blindly into her apartment and into a neighboring unit, became a focal point in the investigation. The apartment where his shots landed had a pregnant woman, child, and man inside, yet no one was physically injured.

Hankison was acquitted of state wanton endangerment charges in 2022. In 2023, a federal jury deadlocked on related civil rights charges. His recent conviction marked the first time he was held criminally accountable in the Taylor case.

Three other ex-officers have been charged federally for falsifying the warrant used to justify the raid. None were present at the scene, and none have gone to trial yet.

Federal Division Under Scrutiny

The sentencing memorandum was signed by Harmeet Dhillon, the Trump-appointed head of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, who has previously drawn attention for attempting to void police reform agreements in cities like Louisville and Minneapolis.

Critics, including Taylor’s legal team, suggested that the DOJ’s pivot on sentencing reflected a political shift rather than an objective legal review.

“While today’s sentence is not what we had hoped for,” read a joint statement from Taylor’s legal team, “it is more than what the Department of Justice sought. That, in itself, is a statement.”

Meanwhile, outside the courthouse, Louisville police arrested four protesters, accusing them of creating confrontation and kicking vehicles. Charges were not immediately disclosed.

As Hankison awaits assignment to a federal facility, many now await the trials of the remaining officers charged with crafting the falsified warrant—a document that set off a tragic chain of events leading to Breonna Taylor’s death.