Ex-Louisville Officer Sentenced to Nearly Three Years in Prison for Excessive Force During Breonna Taylor Raid

Breonna Taylor was 26 when she was fatally shot in 2020

A former Louisville Metro Police officer, Brett Hankison, has been sentenced to 33 months in federal prison for using excessive force during the fatal 2020 raid that led to the death of Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman. The sentence, issued by U.S. District Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings, marks the first prison term handed down in connection with the controversial operation that ignited nationwide protests against police brutality and systemic racism.

Hankison, 49, who fired 10 rounds blindly through a covered window and sliding glass door into Taylor's apartment during a botched drug raid, was convicted in November of violating the civil rights of Taylor, her boyfriend, and her neighbors. Though his bullets did not strike anyone, the judge emphasized the recklessness of his actions, stating that a sentence with no prison time—as recommended by the U.S. Department of Justice—would undermine the jury’s verdict and the severity of the offense.

The shots fired by Hankison penetrated into a neighboring apartment, narrowly missing a family inside. Judge Jennings expressed disbelief that more people weren’t injured and said the DOJ’s arguments in favor of leniency were “incongruous and inappropriate.”

Hankison will serve his sentence under federal supervision with an additional three years of probation following his release. The U.S. Bureau of Prisons will determine the specifics of his incarceration schedule.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represented Taylor’s family in their $12 million settlement with the city of Louisville, criticized the Justice Department’s sentencing recommendation, calling it “an insult to the life of Breonna Taylor.” While acknowledging the sentence did not go far enough, Crump expressed gratitude that Hankison will face prison time and encouraged continued public remembrance of Taylor, leading a crowd outside the courthouse in chanting her name.

Former Louisville police officer Brett Hankison arrives at the Gene Snyder Federal Building on Monday for sentencing for violating the rights of Breonna Taylor, who was shot and killed by police officers in March 2020 after they used a no-knock warrant at her home

Taylor’s mother, Tamika Palmer, voiced disappointment with the DOJ’s handling of the case. She said prosecutors seemed more aligned with the defense than with the pursuit of justice for her daughter. “There was no prosecution in there for us,” Palmer said. “Brett had his own defense team, I didn’t know he got a second one.”

The Justice Department, under new leadership, sought no prison time for Hankison—despite years spent building the case. Prosecutors suggested time served (equivalent to one day) and probation, citing mitigating factors like Hankison’s PTSD and the outcome of two prior trials, which ended in no convictions.

In 2022, Hankison was acquitted on state charges of wanton endangerment. A separate federal trial in 2023 ended in a mistrial. Despite these outcomes, Judge Jennings reiterated that officers provoked by a gunshot—fired by Taylor’s boyfriend, who mistook the raid for a break-in—are not permitted to respond recklessly without accountability.

Taylor was killed when officers returned fire after her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, shot once, hitting an officer in the leg. Neither of the officers whose bullets struck Taylor were charged in state or federal court, as prosecutors found their use of deadly force legally justified.

During the raid, police were executing a search warrant as part of a drug investigation. No drugs or cash were found in Taylor’s apartment. The warrant was later revealed to be based on false information linking Taylor to an ex-boyfriend under investigation. Three other former officers are awaiting trial on charges related to falsifying the affidavit that led to the warrant, though none were present during the raid.

While Hankison’s sentencing hearing was underway, police arrested four protesters outside the courthouse for creating unsafe conditions. No formal charges were listed.

The sentencing memo submitted by the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division—now overseen by Trump appointee Harmeet Dhillon—argued for leniency and marked a departure from previous federal efforts to hold law enforcement accountable. Dhillon has also moved to withdraw consent decrees mandating police reforms in Louisville and Minneapolis.