A mistrial was declared in the federal civil rights trial of Brett Hankison, a former Louisville police officer charged in the 2020 death of Breonna Taylor.
Hankison was the only officer of the three who fired their weapons to face criminal charges.
The Department of Justice is reportedly considering all available options following the mistrial.
A mistrial has been declared in the federal civil rights trial of Brett Hankison, a former Louisville, Kentucky, police officer charged in the 2020 death of Breonna Taylor. The jury, which was predominantly white, was unable to reach a unanimous verdict on the charges of civil rights violations for allegedly using excessive force. The charges stem from a botched raid in March 2020, during which Hankison fired 10 shots into Taylor's apartment. Some of these shots flew into a neighboring apartment, violating the rights of Taylor, her boyfriend, and her neighbors.
Hankison, who was acquitted by a state court last year in a separate trial, was the only officer of the three who fired their weapons to face criminal charges. The Department of Justice is reportedly considering all available options following the mistrial. The incident, which resulted in the fatal shooting of Taylor, an emergency room technician, sparked worldwide protests and a reckoning with police violence and racial inequality.
Hankison, who was acquitted by a state court last year in a separate trial, was the only officer of the three who fired their weapons to face criminal charges.
The Department of Justice is considering all available options.