Key Takeaways
- A judge sentenced Brett Hankison to 33 months in federal prison for his role in the Breonna Taylor raid, rejecting the U.S. Department of Justice’s recommendation for no prison time.
- In court, the judge criticized the DOJ’s leniency, calling Hankison’s actions dangerous and not “inconsequential.”
- Taylor’s family, civil rights advocates, and members of the public expressed frustration with the DOJ’s handling of the case.
A former Kentucky police officer involved in the deadly raid that killed Breonna Taylor was sentenced to nearly three years in federal prison, despite the U.S. Department of Justice recommending no prison time.
Brett Hankison, who reportedly fired 10 bullets blindly during the 2020 raid but didn’t strike anyone, was sentenced Monday (July 21) to 33 months in prison and three years of supervised release. According to the Associated Press, U.S. District Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings said, “No prison time is not appropriate,” and criticized the DOJ for treating Hankison’s actions as “an inconsequential crime.”
“I was startled that there weren’t more people injured,” Jennings said, adding that the blind shots endangered Taylor’s neighbors.
The DOJ’s recommendation of time served and probation was met with outrage from Taylor’s family, their attorneys, and the rest of the world. According to AP, Taylor’s mother, Tamika Palmer, said she was disappointed that the prosecutors did not push for a tougher sentence. Civil rights lawyer Ben Crump, who was outside the courthouse, called the DOJ’s recommendation “an insult to the life of Breonna Taylor and a blatant betrayal of the jury’s decision,” the publication reported. See below for more reactions from the public:
A national flashpoint for racial injustice
Taylor, a 26-year-old EMT, was killed in her apartment during a botched drug raid where no drugs or money were found. Though she wasn’t shot by Hankison, her death — and the lack of accountability — remains a national symbol of racial injustice and police violence. Hankison is the first person connected to the case to receive prison time.
Taylor’s death, along with the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis just two months later, both became a rallying cry for racial justice in America. These two cases, involving unarmed Black victims and aggressive police tactics, sparked months of nationwide protests and renewed demands for systemic change.