Jury in Brett Hankison trial handed case
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - Closing arguments in the trial of former Louisville Metro Police Department Officer Brett Hankison were given Thursday in Jefferson County Circuit Court before the case was handed over to the jury.
Hankison is on trial for three counts of wanton endangerment related to an LMPD drug raid that led to the death of Breonna Taylor in March 2020.
The former detective’s charges do not directly relate to Taylor’s death, but rather to shooting into Taylor’s apartment and into the adjacent unit, which was occupied by a couple and their young child. Taylor was killed in the shootout between the officers and her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, who told investigators he opened fire first because he thought the officers were intruders.
COMPLETE COVERAGE: The Breonna Taylor case
Hankison explained details of the raid to jurors on Wednesday, breaking down in tears at times as he claimed he did no wrong that night while defending the lives of his fellow officers.
The other two officers who also fired their weapons during the raid, Myles Cosgrove and Jon Mattingly, claimed their Fifth Amendment rights and did not testify.
The jury will decide Hankison’s fate after deliberations. If he is convicted on all three counts, he could face up to 15 years in prison.
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