A federal judge ruled Thursday that allegations of past misconduct against former Louisville police officer Brett Hankison cannot be introduced as evidence in his current trial. The U.S. government had attempted to introduce two incidents involving alleged misconduct by Hankison while employed as an officer.
Former Louisville Police Officer Brett Hankison discusses the muzzle flashes that he saw coming from the apartment as he is questioned by the prosecution in Louisville, Ky., Wednesday, March 2, 2022.
On March 13, 2020, Louisville officers conducted a raid of Taylor's apartment at around 12:45 a.m. When officers broke down the door to the apartment, Kenneth Walker, Taylor's boyfriend, thinking it was an intruder, fired a single gunshot using a legally purchased firearm, hitting the first officer at the door. Two Louisville officers then fired a total of 22 shots into the apartment, one of which hit Taylor in the chest, according to information filed by the Justice Department.
Hankison’s federal trial, which is the third attempt to convict him for his actions in the Taylor shooting, is set to begin on Tuesday. A federal trial last year ended in a mistrial when the jury reached an impasse because they were not able to reach a unanimous decision. Hankison wasUnited States District Court Judge Rebecca Jennings granted the prosecution’s motion to exclude references to Hankison’s prior court proceedings in his upcoming trial, according to WHAS11.
Hankison claimed that he saw muzzle flashes coming from inside the home and believed the threat was moving up the hallway and advancing on the officers from Hankison's position outside, according to court transcripts.Hankison stated that he now knows that the muzzle flashes were coming from his fellow officers, who were standing in the doorway of the apartment's front entrance, according to court documents. Hankison said, at the time, he thought his fellow officers were being executed.
The defense said the prosecution took Mattingly and Etherton's statements out of context and didn't have the necessary evidence to claim there was a pause between Hankison's fellow officers' shots and his own gunfire, according to court transcripts. Hankison said he stopped shooting after he saw there were no more muzzle flashes inside the apartment. He testified that he thought he neutralized the threat.
Breonna Taylor Brett Hankison Louisville Police Civil Rights Violation Federal Trial
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