In March 2020, officials in Louisville, Kentucky carried out a no-knock warrant on the home of 26-year-old Taylor, who was a Black woman. Police fired shots into her apartment, killing her.
For months, protests demanded accountability and justice for her killing. But the only person who faced charges was an officer there accused of endangering not Taylor, but someone else: her neighbors.
Brett Hankison was acquitted by the jury of all three counts of felony wanton endangerment in the botched raid. He was a Louisville Metro Police Department detective. He was tried for firing bullets through her windows and sliding glass door, which went into a neighbor’s apartment where three people were.
Hankinson’s defense argued that he acted in order to defend fellow officers. On the stand, he expressed remorse but denied any wrongdoing. Taylor’s mother and sister were present in the courtroom for the verdict.
Twenty six witnesses were called over five days for the trial. Assistant Attorney General Barbara Whaley said in her closing arguments that other officers correctly chose not to shoot and that Hankinson was shooting with no target in mind, and therefore, should not have been firing his gun at all.
Shaley said that Taylor’s death could have easily been one of four that night if his rogue bullets landed slightly differently.
Taylor was an emergency room technician. Her killing, combined with the killings of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery, set off worldwide protests about how the legal system treats Black citizens. It also launched criticisms of the dangers of no-knock warrants.
Since Taylor’s killing, the Justice Department has taken some action to limit the use of no-knock warrants. However, Congress has failed to pass national police reform legislation. There are still an estimated 20,000 to 80,000 no-knock warrants every year, and some of them turn deadly.
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