Judge declares mistrial after jury deadlocks in trial of ex-officer in deadly Breonna Taylor raid

In a recent legal development, a federal judge has declared a mistrial in the case involving Brett Hankison, a former Louisville police officer. The trial centered on civil rights charges related to a tragic incident, the deadly raid that resulted in the loss of Breonna Taylor’s life.

Brett Hankison faced charges of employing excessive force that infringed upon the rights of Breonna Taylor, her boyfriend, and her adjacent neighbors. The incident occurred during a drug warrant search on March 13, 2020, when officers came under fire. Hankison discharged a total of 10 rounds into Breonna Taylor’s window and a glass door. Some of these bullets entered a neighboring apartment but thankfully did not injure anyone.

The jury, composed mainly of individuals of white ethnicity, faced significant difficulties in arriving at a verdict over the course of several days. Ultimately, on Thursday afternoon, the jury communicated to U.S. District Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings that they had reached an impasse in their deliberations. Despite the judge’s encouragement to continue deliberating, the jurors were unable to reach a consensus.

During the course of the week, the judge noted instances of “elevated voices” emanating from the jury room, prompting court security officials to intervene. On Thursday, the jurors informed the judge that they were deadlocked on both counts against Brett Hankison and could not reach a decision.

The mistrial has the potential to lead to a retrial for Brett Hankison, although this decision will be made by federal prosecutors at a later date.

It’s worth noting that Hankison was previously acquitted by a Kentucky jury last year on wanton endangerment charges, with state prosecutors alleging that he had put Breonna Taylor’s neighbors in jeopardy. Subsequently, several months after his acquittal, the U.S. Department of Justice brought forth new charges against Hankison, along with other officers involved in obtaining the warrant.

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland emphasized that Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman pursuing a career in nursing, “should be alive today” when announcing the federal charges in August 2022. The charges Hankison faced carried a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

Notably, Hankison was the sole officer to face criminal charges for discharging his weapon during the Taylor raid. Prosecutors determined that two other officers were justified in returning fire, as one of them had been shot in the leg.

In the closing arguments of the trial, federal prosecutor Michael Songer asserted that Hankison, as a law enforcement officer, was not above the law. Songer contended that Hankison’s actions of firing blindly into the building, unable to discern a target, were fundamentally wrong.

Hankison’s defense attorney, Stewart Mathews, countered that his client acted swiftly to aid his fellow officers, who he believed were under threat from a gunman inside Taylor’s apartment. It’s important to note that Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, had fired a single shot when the police forcefully entered, as he believed there was an intruder.

Hankison testified that he observed the shot from Taylor’s boyfriend in the hallway after breaching the door. In response, he backed away and fired shots into the side of the apartment, asserting that he had no other choice but to react in that moment of chaos.

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More about Mistrial

• Breonna Taylor Case: A Timeline
• Brett Hankison Trial: What You Need to Know
• Federal Charges Filed Against Brett Hankison
• Background on Breonna Taylor’s Death and Case
• The Mistrial Declaration and Its Implications