A former Louisville police officer has been sentenced to nearly three years in prison for using excessive force during the 2020 raid that led to Breonna Taylor’s death, marking the first prison term in the case. The judge rejected the Justice Department’s push for no jail time, calling the actions too serious to go unpunished. read more

A federal judge on Monday sentenced former Louisville police officer Brett Hankison to 33 months in prison for using excessive force during the 2020 raid that led to Breonna Taylor’s death. The sentence comes despite the Justice Department’s recommendation for no prison time, a suggestion the judge firmly rejected.

Hankison, who fired 10 bullets during the botched drug raid but did not hit anyone, was the only officer charged at the scene of Taylor’s killing. While his shots didn’t cause injury, they pierced the walls of her apartment and entered a neighboring unit, putting lives at risk.

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US District Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings criticized the DOJ’s recommendation as “inappropriate” and said it treated Hankison’s actions as “inconsequential.” She added she was “startled” that no one else was harmed during the chaotic operation.

Hankison will serve three years of supervised release after completing his sentence. The Bureau of Prisons will determine when and where he begins serving time.

Civil rights lawyer Ben Crump, who helped secure a $12 million settlement for Taylor’s family, condemned the DOJ’s recommendation and called it a betrayal of justice. After the hearing, he led a crowd outside the courthouse in chanting, “Say her name” — with the response, “Breonna Taylor.”

Taylor’s death in March 2020, along with George Floyd’s killing two months later, helped ignite a national movement against police brutality and racial injustice.

The Justice Department’s sudden shift — now under the Trump administration after Hankison’s conviction — suggested probation and time already served (just one day), arguing he no longer posed a danger. The reversal drew sharp backlash from activists and Taylor’s supporters.

A former Louisville police officer has been sentenced to 33 months in prison for violating Breonna Taylor’s civil rights during a 2020 police raid that resulted in her death. The federal judge handed down Brett Hankison’s sentence after the Department of Justice had recommended he be sentenced to only one day in prison, Straight Arrow News reported last week.

The 2020 raid

On March 13, 2020, Louisville police executed a “no-knock” warrant at Taylor’s apartment as part of a drug investigation linked to Kenneth Walker, her boyfriend. Walker, thinking it was a break-in, fired one shot, hitting an officer in the leg. In response, three officers fired 32 bullets into the apartment. Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman and medical worker, was hit six times and killed. No drugs were found in the apartment.

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According to court documents, Hankison fired blindly, shooting at least 10 rounds into Taylor’s apartment and her neighboring apartment. None of his shots hit anyone, but prosecutors argued his reckless actions endangered lives.

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Reddit Unbiased. Straight Facts.TM In response to Breonna Taylor’s death, Louisville’s metro council passed an ordinance called “Breonna Law.” It prohibits no-knock warrants in the city and mandates body camera use for police officers during the execution of search warrants.

DOJ sentencing recommendation

Last week, the U.S. Department of Justice issued a memorandum recommending that Hankison be sentenced to one day in prison. Signed by Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, the memo cited several mitigating factors, including Hankison’s lack of prior convictions, consistent employment throughout his adult life and good behavior since his release from custody over four years ago.

Those factors, the memo said, “demonstrate that there is no need for a prison sentence to protect the public from [the] defendant.”

Protests and arrests outside courthouse

Before Hankison’s sentencing hearing got underway Monday, several protesters could be seen in the streets, some even blocking traffic and jumping on vehicles attempting to pass. According to WAVE News, four protesters were arrested, including Breonna Taylor’s aunt, Bianca Austin.

Austin is charged with disorderly conduct and obstructing traffic, according to WAVE News.

“What we saw today in front of the courthouse in the street was not safe, acceptable or legal. Creating confrontation, kicking vehicles, or otherwise creating an unsafe environment will not be tolerated,” Matt Sanders, Louisville Metro Police, said in a statement.