The federal civil rights trial of Brett Hankison, a former Louisville, Kentucky, police officer implicated in the 2020 death of Breonna Taylor, ended in a mistrial on Thursday.
Taylor, a black woman, was killed in a botched police raid, sparking a nationwide outcry and a series of racial justice protests.
U.S. District Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings declared the mistrial after the jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict. Hankison was facing charges of civil rights violations for allegedly using excessive force during the raid on Taylor's apartment.
The Department of Justice now faces the decision of whether to retry Hankison. A spokesperson for the department stated that they are "actively considering all of our available options."
Hankison, a white officer, was accused of firing 10 rounds during the raid, none of which hit anyone. A separate state court trial last year acquitted him of endangering Taylor's neighbors by discharging his weapon. Of the three officers who fired their weapons during the raid, Hankison was the only one to face criminal charges.
The police had sought to search Taylor's apartment as part of a drug investigation involving her ex-boyfriend, who was not living with her at the time.
During the raid, Taylor's current boyfriend, fearing an intrusion and claiming he did not hear the police identify themselves, fired a single shot that injured an officer. This officer and another retaliated, firing six shots that fatally wounded Taylor.
In addition to Hankison, federal prosecutors charged three other former Louisville police officers last year. They were accused of knowingly including false information in an affidavit, which led a judge to approve the warrant for the raid on Taylor's apartment.
One of these officers, Kelly Goodlett, pleaded guilty last year. The other two, Joshua Jaynes and current Sergeant Kyle Meany, are awaiting their federal court trials.
Login