Brett Hankison was found not guilty on March 3, 2022, of wanton endangerment in connection with the raid that killed Breonna Taylor.
On March 13, 2020, Taylor was shot dead by police as they raided her apartment. Officers in plain clothes used a battering ram to enter the apartment and were met by gunfire from Taylor’s boyfriend.
Hankison ran to the side of Taylor’s apartment and fired shots into a sliding glass door, even though he couldn’t see behind it.
The former police officer had been charged with three counts of wanton endangerment for bullets that went into a neighboring unit where a couple and a small child were present. Hankison had been facing a potential prison sentence of 15 years.
The verdict now brings an end to the criminal proceedings connected with the killing of Taylor, as none of the officers involved in the raid were charged with her death.
Taylor’s mother, Tamika Palmer, was present at the hearing but left the courtroom and declined to speak with reporters.
