Former Louisville police officer Brett Hankison, convicted for using excessive force during the 2020 raid that killed Breonna Taylor, has been ordered to begin his prison sentence this week after a federal judge rejected his request to remain free while appealing the case.
Hankison, who fired multiple shots into Taylor’s apartment during the botched raid, became the first officer involved to be criminally convicted. A jury found him guilty of using excessive force in November, leading to a 33-month prison sentence handed down in July. Soon after, he filed an appeal seeking release on bond until the process concluded.
On Monday, U.S. District Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings denied that request, ruling that Hankison “failed to demonstrate a substantial question of law or fact material to his appeal justifying bond.” He is required to report to prison on Thursday.
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During the deadly incident, Hankison discharged his weapon ten times through the apartment’s windows. Although his bullets did not strike anyone, several entered a neighboring unit, narrowly missing two residents. Judge Jennings previously said during sentencing that she was “startled” no one was injured by his gunfire.
Hankison’s first federal trial in 2023 ended in a mistrial, following his 2022 acquittal in state court on wanton endangerment charges. Before his latest sentencing, the U.S. Justice Department had requested that he serve no prison time, a recommendation Jennings criticized, saying federal prosecutors appeared to view the shooting as “an inconsequential crime.”
The raid turned deadly when two other officers returned fire after Taylor’s boyfriend opened fire, believing intruders were breaking in. From a position outside the main line of fire, Hankison ran to the apartment’s side and began shooting through the windows, later testifying that he thought his fellow officers were under attack by someone with a rifle.
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