Brett Hankison sentenced in federal court. How family, others are reacting
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Brett Hankison sentenced in federal court. How family, others are reacting
Brett Hankison, one of the officers who fired into Breonna Taylor’s apartment during a fatal 2020 raid, was sentenced to 33 months in prison July 21. The U.S. Department of Justice recommended a sentence of just one day in a memorandum released July 16. Taylor’s family and community members expressed mixed reactions, acknowledging the sentence while calling for further accountability for others involved in the raid. “I’m grateful for the small piece of justice that we got. It’s definitely not what I was expecting,” said Taylor’s boyfriend, who was blocked entry to the courtroom and forced waited outside for two hours. “We got one at where we got to take them as they come, because they come to us,” he said of the other officers involved, referencing other officers who were involved in a raid on Taylor’s home the night of her death. “This is one fight. We still have two other officers that this community has to demand that this department continues to prosecute,” an attorney for the family said.
Taylor’s family and community members expressed mixed reactions, acknowledging the sentence while calling for further accountability.
Former Louisville Metro Police detective Brett Hankison, one of the officers who fired into Breonna Taylor’s apartment during a fatal 2020 raid, was sentenced to 33 months in prison in a federal court July 21.
Hankison, originally charged in September 2020, was charged with three counts of wanton endangerment for firing into Taylor’s home the night of the raid, but was found not guilty in March 2022. Five months later, federal prosecutors filed two federal charges of deprivation of civil rights against Hankison, but his initial case ended in a mistrial in 2023. He was later convicted on one charge during his re-trial in 2024 and faced up to life in prison.
The U.S. Department of Justice recommended a sentence of just one day in a memorandum released July 16, but during court proceedings, Western Kentucky District Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings said she was troubled by the prosecutors’ sentencing memorandum, as well as their arguments toward leniency.
Here’s how family members and others around the commonwealth are reacting in the wake of the sentence:
Tamika Palmer
During a news conference outside the courthouse following the sentencing, Taylor’s mother, Tamika Palmer, said there was seemingly no prosecution in the proceedings due to prosecutors’ call for a light sentence.
“There was no prosecution in there for us. There was no prosecution in there for Breonna,” Palmer said. “I’m grateful for the judge for giving some time because we could have walked away with nothing, according to what they recommended.”
Lonita Baker
Lonita Baker, an attorney for Taylor’s family, commended the judge for voicing her disappointment in the DOJ recommendation.
“She all but said they violated their oath of office as prosecutors, and as a former prosecutor, they did that,” she said.
While noting that the sentence is a step toward justice for the family, she called on the community to continue fighting for the prosecution of others involved in the raid.
“This is one fight. We still have two other officers that this community has to demand that this Department of Justice continues to prosecute,” Baker said. “Kyle Meany and Joshua Jaynes, we cannot forget about them.”
Benjamin Crump
Civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, who has represented Taylor’s family, said he was “astonished” by how prosecutors seemed to argue in defense of Hankison.
“Never in my career as a lawyer had I heard the prosecutor argue so adamantly for a convicted felon who had been convicted by a jury who heard all the evidence,” Crump said.
Still, he said, he is grateful the judge handed down a sentence beyond what prosecutors recommended.
“We thank the judge for her attention to detail and for setting the record straight that he was convicted of depriving Breonna Taylor of her civil rights — Fourth Amendment seizure,” he said. “That is a crime that we acknowledge in America that you go to prison for.”
Kenneth Walker
Kenneth Walker, Taylor’s boyfriend at the time of the raid, said he has faced countless obstacles in the five years since his former partner was killed. Those obstacles continue today, he said, citing how he was blocked entry to the courtroom and forced waited outside for two hours.
Still, he echoed his gratitude for the sentence.
“I’m grateful for the small piece of justice that we got. It’s definitely not what I was expecting,” Walker said.
Tammy Hawkins
District One Metro Councilwoman Tammy Hawkins said the DOJ’s one-day sentence recommendation was “disrespectful.”
She said she was glad the judge issued a sentence that reflects a serious crime, adding she feels a longer sentence was warranted.
“I’m glad that it was definitely more than one day. Could she have given him more time? Of course she could have. But I’m just going give her a little grace,” Hawkins said. “Wish it would have been a little bit more time, but we got something, and something was better than nothing.”
Antonio Brown
Louisville activist Antonio Brown said from his view, justice was served. But he acknowledged not everyone will feel the same.
“Thirty-three months, to be honest, it’s not enough. It’s not enough,” he said.
“He shouldn’t be the only one in there,” Brown continued, referencing other officers who were involved in the raid. “But we got one. We got one. That’s where we at. We got to take them wins as they come, because they come slim to none.”
This story may update.
Investigative reporter Josh Wood contributed. Contact reporter Killian Baarlaer at kbaarlaer@gannett.com or @bkillian72 on X.