By: Greg Lewis
Published on Nov 2, 2024, 3:30p.m. EST.
A federal jury on Friday convicted former police officer, Brett Hankison, of using excessive force on Breonna Taylor during the botched 2020 drug raid that led to her death.
According to reports, the 12-member jury returned the late night verdict after clearing the Kentucky police officer earlier in the evening on a charge that he used excessive force on Taylor’s neighbors, but elected to continued to deliberate on the second charge.
CBS News reported that the jury deliberated for more than 20 hours over a three day time period.
Taylor's mother, Tamika Palmer, celebrated the verdict with friends outside the federal courthouse, saying: "It took a lot of time. It took a lot of patience. It was hard. The jurors took their time to really understand that Breonna deserved justice."
"Today, Brett Hankison was found guilty by a jury of his peers for willfully depriving Breonna Taylor of her constitutional rights," said Attorney General Merrick Garland in a statement. "His use of deadly force was unlawful and put Ms. Taylor in harm's way. This verdict is an important step toward accountability for the violation of Breonna Taylor's civil rights, but justice for the loss of Ms. Taylor is a task that exceeds human capacity."
The second count, which remained the same, said Hankison deprived three of Taylor's neighbors of their constitutional rights by shooting through a sliding glass door covered by blinds and a curtain.
Both charges alleged Hankison used a dangerous weapon and his conduct indicated an intent to kill that night.
On Monday he testified that he believed there was a back-and-forth gun battle happening and his fellow officers were in danger, the Associated Press reported, quoting Hankison as saying it "sounded like a semiautomatic rifle making its way down the hallway and executing everybody in my (group)."
"This case is about Brett Hankison's 10 shots that never hit anyone," his attorney, Don Malarcik, said during his closing arguments, the Associated Press reported. "Brett Hankison is charged with violating the constitutional rights of people he never met and never knew existed."
If convicted of the federal charges, Hankison would face a maximum sentence of life in prison.
In response to the Taylor case, Kentucky enacted a law in 2021 that limits when police can use no-knock warrants.
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