The mother of Breonna Taylor is “heartbroken and angry” at the government’s recommendation of a single-day sentence for the former cop who “blindly” fired 10 shots into her daughter’s home during a botched narcotics raid in 2020.
The Department of Justice announced last week that Brett Hankison, a former Louisville Metro Police Department detective, shouldn’t serve jail time for his involvement in Taylor’s death. Hankison is set to be sentenced in Louisville Monday afternoon.
In a sentencing memo filed July 16, the DOJ said that because the officer wasn’t “responsible for her death,” and has a clean record otherwise, Hankison shouldn’t face jail time for Taylor’s death. Instead, the DOJ recommended a one-day sentence and three years of supervised release.
While Hankison faces a maximum life sentence, the DOJ said the reduction is “sufficient, but not greater than necessary.”
In November, a jury convicted Hankison of deprivation of rights under color of law.
“The government respects the jury’s verdict, which will almost certainly ensure that defendant Hankison never serves as a law enforcement officer again and will also likely ensure that he never legally possesses a firearm again,” the memo said.
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In a statement, attorneys for Taylor’s family said the sentence reduction is a “blatant betrayal of the jury’s decision” and “sets a dangerous precedent.”
“When a police officer is found guilty of violating someone’s constitutional rights, there must be real accountability and justice. Recommending just one day in prison sends the unmistakable message that white officers can violate the civil rights of Black Americans with near-total impunity,” the statement said.
Monday’s sentencing will determine what’s next for Hankison, but he will serve no jail time if the judge follows the DOJ’s recommendation. His booking and initial court appearance would count toward the one day sentence.
Hankison discharged 10 shots into Taylor’s apartment during the 2020 raid, but none of those shots hit Taylor. Meanwhile, charges against the two police officers who killed Taylor, Joshua Jaynes and Kyle Meany, were dropped last August.
Taylor’s murder sparked a wave of Black Lives Matter protests across the country in 2020. Hankison was fired from the Louisville Metro police department in June 2020, and the family reached a settlement with the city of Louisville in September 2020.
