The prosecution of Brett Hankison, the former police detective who fired 10 bullets through Breonna Taylor’s apartment during a fatal 2020 raid in Louisville, Ky., ended in a mistrial on Thursday after the jury said it could not reach a unanimous verdict on federal civil rights charges.
It was the second time that Mr. Hankison had gone to trial on charges related to the case and avoided a conviction.
The Justice Department charged Mr. Hankison last year after a jury found him not guilty of state charges of endangering Ms. Taylor’s neighbors by firing several times through a covered window and a sliding-glass door during a nighttime police raid.
Two other Louisville police officers, both of whom were white, shot Ms. Taylor, a Black 26-year-old emergency room technician whose death led to massive protests against racism and police violence in Louisville and elsewhere.
Mr. Hankison, who is also white, did not strike anyone with his gunfire, but some of his bullets entered a neighboring apartment where a pregnant woman, her boyfriend and her 5-year-old son were sleeping.
Persons:
Brett Hankison, Hankison, Ms, Taylor
Organizations:
Justice Department, Louisville
Locations:
Louisville, Ky