Former Louisville Metro Police detective Brett Hankison has pleaded not guilty to charges related to the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor after being indicted by a grand jury.
Hankison was charged with three counts of first-degree wanton endangerment on Wednesday. Prosecutors allege that Hankison endangered Taylor’s neighbors after bullets he shot went into a neighboring apartment the night that Taylor, a 26-year-old medical technician, was killed. None of the three officers were charged with crimes directly related to Taylor’s death, prompting a wave of protests.
Hankison appeared in person in court on Monday, where he entered his not guilty plea.
He was released from custody Wednesday after posting a $15,000 bond, and on Monday, presiding Judge Ann Bailey Smith set a condition that he could not be in possession of firearms prior to his trial. Hankison’s attorney argued that he should be able to possess a weapon for self-defense, citing threats against his client’s life.
Taylor’s shooting has become a rallying cry during protests against racial inequality and police brutality in the United States. She was killed on March 13 when the officers conducted a “no-knock” warrant on her apartment to search for drugs. Taylor’s boyfriend claimed that the officers didn’t identify themselves, and he fired at them because he thought they were intruders, prompting the officers to return fire and kill Taylor.
Louisville Police Chief Robert Schroeder said that Hankison “wantonly and blindly” fired 10 shots into the apartment during the encounter, resulting in Hankison being fired from the police department. Taylor’s boyfriend was arrested and charged with attempted murder of a police officer, but the charges were later dropped.
If convicted of the charges, Hankison faces up to five years in prison for each of the three counts. The other two officers who fired their guns in Taylor’s apartment, Louisville Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly and Detective Myles Cosgrove, were not charged.
