A US federal judge has sentenced former Louisville police officer Brett Hankison to 33 months in prison for violating the civil rights of Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old emergency room technician who was fatally shot by police in her apartment in March 2020. The sentencing marks a significant development in the case, which sparked widespread protests and calls for police reform across the United States.
Taylor’s death occurred during a botched police raid, in which officers executed a no-knock warrant at her apartment based on faulty evidence. Hankison was convicted of using excessive force in violation of Taylor’s civil rights, after firing 10 bullets into her apartment, although none of the shots hit her. The prosecution had requested a lenient sentence of one day, plus three years of supervised release, arguing that a lengthy sentence would be “unjust”.
However, US District Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings rejected the prosecution’s recommendation, saying that no prison time “is not appropriate” for Hankison. She noted that she was “startled” that more people had not been injured in the raid. The judge’s decision was seen as a rebuke to the prosecution’s handling of the case.
The prosecution’s sentencing recommendation had sparked widespread outrage, with many viewing it as a lenient sentence. Lawyers for Taylor’s family called the recommendation an insult, and urged the judge to “deliver true justice” for her. The prosecution’s memo was notable because it was not signed by any of the career prosecutors who had tried the case, but rather by Harmeet Dhillon, a political appointee by Trump to lead the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
Dhillon’s involvement in the case has raised questions about the role of politics in the prosecution’s decision-making. The Justice Department’s sentencing recommendation in the Hankison case marks the latest effort by the Trump administration to put the brakes on the department’s police accountability work. Earlier this year, Dhillon nixed plans to enter into a court-approved settlement with the Louisville Police Department, and rescinded the Civil Rights Division’s prior findings of widespread civil rights abuses against people of color.
The sentencing comes amid ongoing tensions between the community and the Louisville police department. During the sentencing hearing, four people were arrested outside the courtroom for creating a confrontation and kicking vehicles. The police department said that the arrests were necessary to ensure public safety, but acknowledged that the case had caused pain and damaged trust between the department and the community.
Taylor’s death, along with the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis at the hands of a white police officer, led to racial justice protests across the United States. The case has highlighted the need for police reform and accountability, and the importance of addressing systemic issues in law enforcement.