A mistrial has been declared in the case of former Louisville Metro Police Officer Brett Hankison, who was involved in the botched raid on March 13, 2020 that resulted in the death of Breonna Taylor.
Hankinson and two other officers, Myles Cosgrove and Jonathan Mattingly, entered Taylor’s residence under a “no knock” warrant as part of a drug investigation.
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Until the person they were looking for ended up living in the house, Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, thought it was a burglary and fired his gun. One of the policemen was shot in the thigh, and the police fired more than 20 shots.
Brett Hankison. Louisville Metro Police Department
Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron said at a conference in September 2020 that Cosgrove and Mattingly would not be charged because “our investigation showed, and the grand jury agreed, that Mattingly and Cosgrove were justified in returning fatal fire after being shot by Kenneth Walker.”
Charges of assault and attempted murder of a police officer against Walker were dismissed with prejudice in March 2021.
Hankison, however, faced three counts of reckless endangerment for allegedly firing 10 rounds into Taylor’s apartment. Three of his shots pierced the wall of her apartment and entered a neighbor’s apartment, according to authorities. He was acquitted of the charges in March 2022.
In August 2022, two civil rights charges were filed against Hankison, alleging that he “intentionally used unconstitutionally excessive force, while acting in his official capacity as a police officer, when he fired his service weapon into Taylor’s apartment through a covered window and glass door .”
Detective Brett Hankison fired for abuse of deadly force in fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor
According to a press release from the US Department of Justice’s Office of Public Affairs, “both counts allege that Hankison used a dangerous weapon and that his conduct involved attempted murder.”
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Breonna Taylor.
According to Louisville Courier-Journal, his trial began on October 30, with a federal jury hearing testimony from “two dozen witnesses.” The Associated Press reported that the 12-member jury told District Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings they were deadlocked Thursday afternoon.
Jennings asked jurors to continue deliberating, but the judge later said “raised voices” could be heard coming from the jury room during deliberations. Court security officers visited the room, reports AP. Jurors said they were still deadlocked, prompting Jennings to declare a mistrial.
Want to keep up with the latest crime reports? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for the latest crime news, coverage of ongoing trials and details on intriguing unsolved cases.According to NBC News, Hankison faced a maximum sentence of life in prison, and federal prosecutors may decide to seek a retrial.
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Source: HIS Education