Latest news with #ex-Louisville
New York Post
22-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Breonna Taylor's aunt arrested outside courthouse as cop in deadly raid gets 33 months
Breonna Taylor's aunt was arrested outside a Louisville courthouse Monday, just hours before a fired cop convicted in the botched no-knock raid leading to Taylor's shooting death was sentenced to 33 months in prison. Bianca Austin was one of four people taken into custody as protesters jumped on cars outside the Gene Snyder Federal Building ahead of Monday's sentencing of ex-Louisville cop Brett Hankison, who was found guilty of violating Taylor's civil rights last year, according to USA Today. Louisville police responded to reports of protesters causing problems in the street — and when they arrived, found Austin in the middle of the intersection 'clapping her hands' and blocking vehicles, according to a police report obtained by the outlet. They said Austin approached them while 'clapping and yelling in their face,' the report stated. 5 Taylor, a Black woman, was killed by police in 2020 after they executed a no-knock warrant during a botched raid of her home. Courtesy of Family of Breonna Taylor Other protesters were filmed jumping on cars, video from the scene shows. 'What we saw today in front of the courthouse in the street was not safe, acceptable or legal,' Lousivlle Metropolitan Police Department spokesperson Matthew Sanders said in a statement. 'Creating confrontation, kicking vehicles or otherwise creating an unsafe environment will not be tolerated.' Austin was charged with disorderly conduct and obstructing a highway, according to court records. She is scheduled to be arraigned on Tuesday. Hankison, who was fired from the Louisville Police Department after Taylor was killed, was found guilty last year of violating Taylor's civil rights after he blindly fired 10 rounds into Taylor's apartment while police executed a no-knock warrant raid — none of which actually struck Taylor. 5 The U.S. Justice Department has asked a federal judge to sentence former Louisville police officer Brett Hankison, who was convicted of violating Breonna Taylor's civil rights, to serve just one day in prison. via REUTERS He was sentenced to 33 months in prison — even though the Justice Department recommended he just get one day in prison. 'It wasn't justice, but I got essentially what I started out for, which was jail time,' Taylor's mother, Tamika Palmer, told CNN after the sentencing, adding that she found the Trump administration's suggestion insulting. 'Breonna never stood a chance in that courtroom,' Palmer added. 5 Taylor's death, as well as the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, sparked mass racial justice protests around the country. Facebook 5 According to the court filing, the one-day sentence would amount to time served since Hankison would 'get credit for the day he was booked and made his initial appearance.' Louisville PD 5 Crime scene pictures taken by Louisville Metro Police investigators. Louisville Metro Police Hankison was not immediately taken into custody and will remain free until the federal Bureau of Prisons decides where he will serve time. Taylor was killed by police in 2020 after they executed a no-knock warrant while conducting a raid on her boyfriend's home. Her boyfriend, who was carrying a legally owned firearm and thought the couple were being robbed, shot at police, prompting them to fire back 22 times into the apartment.
ITV News
22-07-2025
- ITV News
Former Kentucky officer Brett Hankison jailed for three years over Breonna Taylor's death
A former Kentucky police officer who fired ten bullets into Breonna Taylor 's home in 2020 during a botched drug raid has been sentenced to nearly three years in prison for using excessive force. Ms Taylor, a 26-year-old emergency medical technician, was shot in her hallway by two officers after her boyfriend fired from inside the apartment, striking an officer in the leg on March 13, 2020. Louisville police used a drug warrant to forcefully enter Taylor's apartment shortly after midnight, but found no drugs or cash inside. Brett Hankison, who fired ten shots during the raid but didn't hit anyone, was the only officer on the scene charged in the woman's death. He is the first person sentenced in the case that rocked the city of Louisville and spawned weeks of street protests over police brutality that year. A federal judge on Monday sentenced him to 33 months in prison for using excessive force, with three years of supervised probation to follow the jail term. The US Bureau of Prisons will determine where and when he starts his sentence. US District Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings rebuffed federal prosecutors' recommendation of no prison time for the defendant, saying the Justice Department was treating Hankison's actions as 'an inconsequential crime'. Jennings said she was 'startled' that more people were not injured in the raid from Hankison's blind shots. A statement from Ms Taylor's family said: 'While today's sentence is not what we had hoped for – nor does it fully reflect the severity of the harm caused – it is more than what the Department of Justice sought. That, in itself, is a statement." Hankison's shots the night of the botched drug raid flew through the walls of Taylor's apartment into a neighbouring home, narrowly missing a family. A separate jury deadlocked on federal charges against Hankison in 2023, and he was acquitted on state charges of wanton endangerment in 2022. Federal prosecutors had argued that multiple factors - including that the 49-year-old's two other trials ended with no convictions - should greatly reduce the potential punishment. They also argued he would be susceptible to abuse in prison, and suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. Ms Taylor's mother, Tamika Palmer, said she was disappointed that the new federal prosecutors assigned to the case were not pushing for a tougher sentence. 'There was no prosecution in there for us,' Palmer said after the sentencing. 'Brett had his own defence team, I didn't know he got a second one.' Three other ex-Louisville police officers have been charged with crafting a falsified warrant, but have not gone to trial. None were at the scene when Ms Taylor was shot.
17-07-2025
- Politics
US Justice Department wants no prison time for ex-officer convicted in Breonna Taylor raid
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- The U.S. Justice Department is recommending an ex-Kentucky police officer convicted of using excessive force during the deadly Breonna Taylor raid should serve no prison time, an abrupt about-face after spending years prosecuting the former detective. Brett Hankison is the only officer who fired his weapon the night of the March 2020 botched drug raid who has faced criminal charges. His shots didn't hit or injure anyone, though they flew through Taylor's walls into a neighboring apartment. A federal judge will decide Hankison's sentence, which could amount to several years, on Tuesday at a hearing. If the judge heeds the Justice Department's request, it would mean that none of the Louisville police officers involved in the botched raid would face any prison time. The Justice Department, which has changed leadership under President Donald Trump since Hankison's conviction, said in a sentencing memo this week that "there is no need for a prison sentence to protect the public' from Hankison. Federal prosecutors asked the judge to sentence him to time served, which amounts to one day, and three years of supervised probation. Prosecutors at his previous federal trials aggressively pursued a conviction against Hankison, arguing that he blindly fired 10 shots into Taylor's windows without identifying a target. Taylor was shot in her hallway by two other officers after her boyfriend fired from inside the apartment, striking an officer in the leg. But in the sentencing memo, federal prosecutors wrote that though Hankison's 'response in these fraught circumstances was unreasonable given the benefit of hindsight, that unreasonable response did not kill or wound Breonna Taylor, her boyfriend, her neighbors, defendant's fellow officers, or anyone else.' Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who helped Taylor's family secure a $12 million wrongful death settlement against the city of Louisville, said the Justice Department's recommendation 'is an insult to the life of Breonna Taylor and a blatant betrayal of the jury's decision.' 'Recommending just one day in prison sends the unmistakable message that white officers can violate the civil rights of Black Americans with near-total impunity,' Crump said in a statement on social media. Three other ex-Louisville police officers have been charged with crafting a falsified warrant, but they have not yet gone to trial. None of them were at the scene when Taylor was shot. The death of the 26-year-old Black woman, along with the May 2020 police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, sparked racial injustice protests nationwide that year. A separate jury deadlocked on federal charges against Hankison in 2023, and he was acquitted on state charges of wanton endangerment in 2022.
LeMonde
17-07-2025
- Politics
- LeMonde
US Justice Department wants no prison time for ex-officer convicted in Breonna Taylor raid
The US Justice Department is recommending an ex-Kentucky police officer convicted of using excessive force during the deadly Breonna Taylor raid should serve no prison time, an abrupt about-face after spending years prosecuting the former detective. Brett Hankison is the only officer who fired his weapon the night of the March 2020 botched drug raid who has faced criminal charges. His shots didn't hit or injure anyone, though they flew through Taylor's walls into a neighboring apartment. A federal judge will decide Hankison's sentence, which could amount to several years, on Tuesday, July 22, at a hearing. If the judge heeds the Justice Department's request, it would mean that none of the Louisville police officers involved in the botched raid would face any prison time. The Justice Department, which has changed leadership under President Donald Trump since Hankison's conviction, said in a sentencing memo this week that "there is no need for a prison sentence to protect the public" from Hankison. Federal prosecutors asked the judge to sentence him to time served − which amounts to one day − and three years of supervised probation. Prosecutors at his previous federal trials aggressively pursued a conviction against Hankison, arguing that he blindly fired 10 shots into Taylor's windows without identifying a target. Taylor was shot in her hallway by two other officers after her boyfriend fired from inside the apartment, striking an officer in the leg. But in the sentencing memo, federal prosecutors wrote that though Hankison's "response in these fraught circumstances was unreasonable given the benefit of hindsight, that unreasonable response did not kill or wound Breonna Taylor, her boyfriend, her neighbors, defendant's fellow officers, or anyone else." Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who helped Taylor's family secure a $12 million wrongful death settlement against the city of Louisville, said the Justice Department's recommendation "is an insult to the life of Breonna Taylor and a blatant betrayal of the jury's decision. Recommending just one day in prison sends the unmistakable message that white officers can violate the civil rights of Black Americans with near-total impunity," Crump said in a statement on social media. Three other ex-Louisville police officers have been charged with crafting a falsified warrant , but they have not yet gone to trial. None of them were at the scene when Taylor was shot. The death of the 26-year-old Black woman, along with the May 2020 police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, sparked racial injustice protests nationwide that year. A separate jury deadlocked on federal charges against Hankison in 2023, and he was acquitted on state charges of wanton endangerment in 2022.
Boston Globe
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
US Justice Department wants no prison time for ex-officer convicted in Breonna Taylor raid
The Justice Department, which has changed leadership under President Donald Trump since Hankison's conviction, said in a sentencing memo this week that 'there is no need for a prison sentence to protect the public' from Hankison. Federal prosecutors asked the judge to sentence him to time served, which amounts to one day, and three years of supervised probation. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Prosecutors at his previous federal trials aggressively pursued a conviction against Hankison, arguing that he blindly fired 10 shots into Taylor's windows without identifying a target. Taylor was shot in her hallway by two other officers after her boyfriend fired from inside the apartment, striking an officer in the leg. Advertisement But in the sentencing memo, federal prosecutors wrote that though Hankison's 'response in these fraught circumstances was unreasonable given the benefit of hindsight, that unreasonable response did not kill or wound Breonna Taylor, her boyfriend, her neighbors, defendant's fellow officers, or anyone else.' Advertisement Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who helped Taylor's family secure a $12 million wrongful death settlement against the city of Louisville, said the Justice Department's recommendation 'is an insult to the life of Breonna Taylor and a blatant betrayal of the jury's decision.' 'Recommending just one day in prison sends the unmistakable message that white officers can violate the civil rights of Black Americans with near-total impunity,' Crump said in a statement on social media. Three other ex-Louisville police officers have been charged with crafting a falsified warrant, but they have not yet gone to trial. None of them were at the scene when Taylor was shot. The death of the 26-year-old Black woman, along with the May 2020 police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, sparked racial injustice protests nationwide that year. A separate jury deadlocked on federal charges against Hankison in 2023, and he was acquitted on state charges of wanton endangerment in 2022.
