Mistrial Declared in Breonna Taylor Civil Rights Trial

A federal judge declared a mistrial on Thursday in the civil rights trial of a former Louisville police detective who was involved in the botched raid that resulted in the death of Breonna Taylor in 2020.

The defendant, Brett Hankison, was accused of violating the civil rights of Breonna Taylor, her boyfriend, and her neighbors when he fired shots into her apartment through a window and a sliding glass door during the raid.

Hankison faced two counts of deprivation of rights for shooting 10 rounds into Taylor's bedroom window and sliding glass door, which were covered with blinds and a blackout curtain. Some of the bullets went through a wall and entered a neighboring apartment. No one was injured by Hankison's shots, according to investigators.

After beginning deliberations on Monday, the jury was unable to reach a verdict on both charges, leading U.S District Court Judge Rebecca Grady to declare a mistrial.

Taylor's Tragic Death

Taylor, an emergency medical technician, was sleeping at home with her boyfriend Kenneth Walker when officers charged into the apartment, using a battering ram to break down the door. The couple was roused from their bed by the banging, and Walker fired a single shot from a handgun, believing intruders broke into the house. Police opened fire, killing Taylor.

The group of seven officers was executing a search warrant at around 12:45 a.m. on March 13, 2020, as part of a drug investigation into a former boyfriend of Taylor's. Police did not find any narcotics at the apartment. 

The federal charges against Hankison were brought three months after a jury acquitted him of state wanton endangerment charges. The former detective admitted to firing the shots but said he did so to protect his fellow police officers. His attorney, Stewart Mathews, said that Hankison thought he was doing the right thing.

Taylor's death brought attention to the use of "no knock" warrants, and the Justice Department opened a separate civil rights investigation in 2021 into the patterns and practices of the Louisville Metropolitan Police Department.

In March, federal prosecutors announced they entered into an "agreement in principle" with the department to resolve the investigation's findings, which included the use of excessive force, unjustified neck restraints and the unreasonable use of police dogs and tasers, searches based on invalid warrants, and unlawful discrimination "against Black people in its enforcement activities."