On Thursday, after three hours of deliberating, a Louisville jury acquitted Brett Hankison of all three counts of felony wanton endangerment in a raid that killed Breonna Taylor, CNN reports.
Hankison, a former Louisville Metro Police Department detective, was the only officer charged in connection with the March 2020 shooting, but the charges were not in relation to Taylor's death.
He was tried for firing bullets “through Taylor’s window and sliding glass door that went into a neighboring apartment where three people were present.” Throughout the trial, the defense argued that Hankison was defending his fellow officers, including one who had been shot during the incident.
Taylor’s mother and sister were in attendance for the reading of the verdict but there was no audible reaction.
Hankison exited the courthouse without addressing reporters.
Stewart Mathews, Hankison’s attorney, claimed that his client was simply carrying out his duty during the fatal shooting.
“Justice was done. The verdict was proper and we are thrilled,” Mathews said.
As EBONY previously reported, Taylor, a 26-year-old emergency room technician, was fatally shot in her own home as police officers executed a "no-knock warrant" in search of a suspect.
After filing a lawsuit against the Louisville Metro Police Department, Taylor’s family reportedly settled for $12 million.
Prosecutors said they accepted the verdict but declined to speak to the media.
Had he been convicted, Hankison faced one to five years in prison for each charge.
