LOUISVILLE, Ky. — In a federal court on Monday, Brett Hankison, a former officer with the Louisville Police Department, shared his experiences during the tragic incident that led to the death of Breonna Taylor. He testified that he felt the impact from a gunshot fired at the police before they responded with gunfire that ultimately resulted in Taylor’s passing within her hallway.
Hankison’s testimony was part of his retrial regarding civil rights violations that allege he endangered Taylor and her neighboring residents during a chaotic drug raid in 2020. His shots, which did not injure anyone directly, penetrated Taylor’s sliding door and a window, inadvertently entering a neighbor’s home. Hankison expressed his emotions during testimony, recounting the moment during the raid when he recalled a fellow officer being shot while he was on the scene. He described seeing a person positioned in a “rifle stance” as officers made their entrance through the door.
According to Hankison, after the door was breached, he took a position away from the doorway and moved to the side of the apartment to assess the situation. During this time, he observed two other officers firing into the entrance, which led him to believe they were in an active gunfight. “It sounded like an AR-15 was discharging, and the noise was escalating, increasing in intensity,” Hankison elaborated, indicating he felt there was a serious threat to himself and his fellow officers.
In the critical moments that followed, after officers used a battering ram to force entry, Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, discharged a single shot, believing there was an intrusion. In response, police returned fire with a total of 32 rounds, 10 of which were fired by Hankison, all within mere seconds. Tragically, Taylor was hit and lost her life shortly after being awakened from her sleep around midnight.
Hankison stands as the solitary officer to face jury proceedings related to Taylor’s death, which incited widespread protests concerning police violence against Black individuals in the summer of 2020. Through multiple trials, Hankison has maintained that his actions were in protection of his fellow officers following the shooting of former Sgt. John Mattingly.
Hankison’s prior testimonies have significantly impacted his legal outcomes — in 2022, he was acquitted of wanton endangerment after merely three hours of jury deliberation, and in a subsequent trial, a jury could not reach a consensus after three days of discussions.
As the trial in U.S. District Court progresses into its third week, prosecutors are set to analyze Hankison’s accounts further on Tuesday. Notably, this incident marked the first occasion Hankison had utilized his firearm in nearly two decades of service in law enforcement.
Numerous witnesses have appeared during the trial, including Louisville’s police chief, asserting that Hankison breached police protocols, which mandate that officers identify their targets prior to discharging their weapons. Hankison described witnessing flashes of light emanating from the apartment’s windows and doors, leading him to believe that the homeowner was actively shooting at the police.
“It appeared to me there were strobe lights flashing through those openings,” he stated, recalling the intense moments. Former Officer Mattingly, who was called to testify by Hankison’s defense, confirmed seeing an armed individual at the end of the hall prior to being shot, and explained that he initially had misgivings regarding Hankison’s actions, but later spoke with him to understand his reasoning.
“I would do the same thing,” Mattingly remarked on Monday in support of Hankison’s decisions during the raid.
Hankison is among four former officers charged by the U.S. Department of Justice in 2022 for allegedly infringing on Taylor’s civil rights. He faces two counts that could lead to a maximum sentence of life imprisonment if convicted. The other three officers charged are alleged to have participated in the creation of the search warrant tied to the raid in question.
The federal charges from the U.S. Department of Justice have thus far resulted in one conviction, which was a plea deal with a former officer not present during the raid who later cooperated. Additionally, a judge dismissed felony civil rights charges against two other officers accused of fabricating information for the search warrant last month.