The ex-police officer who shot multiple rounds into Breonna Taylor‘s home has been sentenced to 33 months in prison.
As Blavity reported, Brett Hankison was one of the authorities involved in the March 2020 shooting and raid incident that took the life of Taylor in Louisville. Hankison opened 10 rounds of fire erratically into the sliding glass door and window of Taylor’s apartment home the night of the raid.
Initially, Hankison was federally charged with two counts of violating civil rights. Later on, he was found guilty of violating Taylor’s civil rights by using excessive force during the home invasion in November 2024. Regarding the second count related to three neighbors whose apartments were also hit with bullets, he was acquitted on that charge.
Hankison remains the only person convicted in connection with Taylor’s death.
Ex-officer Brett Hankison was sentenced to 33 months in prison for his role in Breonna Taylor’s death
After serving his time behind bars, Hankison will remain under supervision for three years, ABC News reported. This came in after a sentencing memo was filed on July 16 by the Department of Justice, which recommended Hankison serve one day in prison and three years of supervised release. The document was not signed by the line prosecutors.
While the defense argued Hankison deserved a new trial, citing alleged prosecutorial misconduct in last year’s proceedings, prosecutors maintained that his actions were reckless and unjustified.
Tamika Palmer, Taylor’s mother, shared in a press conference after the hearing that while she wasn’t necessarily pleased with the sentencing, she was thankful that justice was partially served for her daughter. Also, she credited the judge, stating had done her best despite a new prosecutor at sentencing who hadn’t seen the full trial and appeared to advocate more for the defendant than for Taylor.
“It was just as disrespectful as being sent to a hospital my daughter wasn’t at,” Palmer commented on how the prosecutor handled the case in court, according to ABC News. “I’ve never seen such a thing. I’ve never even heard of such a thing. It was disrespectful. It was heartbreaking. It shouldn’t have happened. And like I said, he didn’t know who I was.”
Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, who was present on the night of the occurrence and shot back, stating he was unaware they were officers, expressed that he was grateful for what he described as a small step toward justice.
“Brett Hankison told me I was going to go to jail for the rest of my life, so I definitely feel some type of something to see him going — even if it’s a little time,” Walker said at the same media briefing.
Demonstrators protested the ex-officer’s 33-month sentencing in support of Breonna Taylor
According to WHAS, demonstrators blocked traffic in front of the courthouse in support of Taylor and her family. The scene outside resulted in four arrests, including Taylor’s aunt, Bianca Austin. It was reported that one protester climbed onto a Louisville Water truck, attempting to pass through the crowd.
