US judge to sentence former police officer in Breonna Taylor case
July 21 (Reuters) - A former Louisville police officer will be sentenced on Monday for violating Breonna Taylor's rights during the raid in which she was shot and killed, with President Donald Trump's Justice Department asking the judge to imprison him for just one day.
The surprising request by the department's Civil Rights Division angered members of Taylor's family, some of whom may address the court on Monday ahead of the hearing to sentence former detective Brett Hankison.
The hearing is due to start at 1:30 p.m. EST.
Taylor, a Black woman, was shot and killed by Louisville police officers in March 2020 after they used a no-knock warrant at her home. Her boyfriend, believing they were intruders, fired on the officers with a legally owned firearm, prompting them to return fire.
Taylor's death, along with the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis at the hands of a white police officer, sparked racial justice protests across the U.S. over the treatment of people of color by police departments.
During President Joe Biden's administration, the Justice Department brought criminal civil rights charges against the officers involved in both Taylor and Floyd's deaths.
Hankison was convicted by a federal jury in November 2024 of one count of violating Taylor's civil rights, after the first attempt to prosecute him ended with a mistrial.
He was separately acquitted on state charges in 2022.
Criminal Penalties:
Imprisonment:
Violations of civil rights can lead to imprisonment, with the length of the sentence varying depending on the severity of the offense and any aggravating factors. For example, in cases involving death or other aggravating circumstances, the penalty can range from ten years to life imprisonment, or even the death penalty.
Slap on the wrist incoming
with President Donald Trump's Justice Department asking the judge to imprison him for just one day.
Jesus fuck, the DOJ is requesting a *one day sentence?"
That is a calculated insult
And cops still can't figure out why people hate themThey know why, they just want you to be grateful and unquestioning regardless.
It's like they're trying to create vigilantes out hereNonzero chance they're trying to build pressure until something happens as a pretext for declaring martial law.
the DOJ is requesting a *one day sentence?"
That is a calculated insult
They know why, they just want you to be submissive and begging for seconds .
He got 33 months.Fucking good
He got 33 months.should have been 33 years
He got 33 months.
Topic title is a lie, this is not the guy who killed her.The actual murderers got away with it
Topic title is a lie, this is not the guy who killed her.Huh, so he's just a scapegoat?
Hes the guy who fired ten times but didnt hit anyone. The man who fired the fatal shot has never been charged, got fired but got picked up elsewhere where hes a total fuckup but the sheriff who hired him keeps defending him.
Hes the guy who fired ten times but didnt hit anyone. The man who fired the fatal shot has never been charged, got fired but got picked up elsewhere where hes a total fuckup but the sheriff who hired him keeps defending him.
I'm a little unclear on what exactly he was convicted of. "Violating Breonna Taylor's rights" is a little vague, and doesn't suggest to me "shots fired."
For that matter, every shot he did fire could have been the one that killed her. It's just his luck that none of them were. Seems a little nuts to me that bad aim makes the difference between this and a potential second degree murder charge.
I'm just not sure what "violating rights" actually means here. If that's just for raiding the wrong apartment... they all did that, and so did the chief who authorized this, and so did the judge who fast-tracked the no-knock warrant on flimsy evidence.
They're all horrible. There is absolutely no reason to authorize an after-midnight no-knock raid on individuals who do not have criminal records and are not at risk of committing violent acts. It just doesn't make sense on any level.The warrant was illegal I thought. The judge signed off on it anyway.
with President Donald Trump's Justice Department asking the judge to imprison him for just one day.Of course these evil fucks did. I'm sure Trump will free the fucker if they get a result they don't like.
The warrant was illegal I thought. The judge signed off on it anyway.
If thats the case the 33 months isnt THAT bad of a scenario, though still light. So why didnt the actual killer get charged?