Stock Groups

Trial of officer charged in Breonna Taylor case to begin in Kentucky -Breaking

[ad_1]

© Reuters. FILEPHOTO: A former Louisville police detective poses for a booking picture at Shelby County Detention Center, Shelbyville, Kentucky. This was taken on September 23, 2020. Shelby County Detention Center/Handout via REUTERS

(Reuters) – With a jury in place, Breonna Taylor’s trial against a former Kentucky officer who was charged with wanton danger during her 2020 shooting death will begin on Wednesday. This case is a reminder of another American case that sparked a two-year long protest campaign against racial injustice.

The only person charged was Detective Brett Hankison (45), whose stray shots struck a nearby apartment in Louisville in March 2020 during the botched execution a search warrant.

Taylor’s death, a 26 year-old Black emergency medicine technician, was not armed. The killings of George Floyd (NYSE:), Georgia, and Armaud Abery in Brunswick (NYSE.) also caught international attention. This sparked weeks of protests against the police brutality against Blacks and others.

The Jefferson County Circuit Court trial of Hankison has not been able to please activists, who feel that police got away too quickly after Daniel Cameron, Kentucky’s lead investigator, stated police used deadly force when justified.

Hankison has pleaded guilty and was sentenced to a Class D felony that can lead to up five years in jail. The jury selection process began February 3.

Although the officers actually shot Taylor were cleared by the grand jury, Hankison was indicted for endangering neighboring apartments.

Kenneth Walker was Taylor’s boyfriend when police broke into Taylor’s home to execute a search warrant. Walker fired one round out of a 9mm handgun he was licensed for and wound one officer.

Taylor was struck six times with 32 rounds of ammunition by the police responding to his call.

Hankison took 10 shots outside of the apartment through the sliding patio door with the blinds drawn. Some shots from Hankison penetrated the wall, and entered the home next door occupied by a woman who is pregnant and a boy.

Hankison stated to a grand jury that he had opened fire on the victims after they started shooting. Hankison mistakenly thought that one of his coworkers was carrying an AR-15, or some other long-range gun.

Hankison stated that he believed his officers were being executed.

Instead, he was primarily hearing other police shooting their guns. The single shot that Walker fired at Jonathan Mattingly injures him, and Detective Myles Colsgrove fires 16 shots.

The police wanted to raid the house in connection to a drug investigation, in which Taylor’s ex was suspect.

The city of Louisville awarded Taylor’s family a $12,000,000 wrongful death settlement.

Disclaimer: Fusion MediaThis website does not provide accurate and current data. CFDs are stocks, indexes or futures. The prices of Forex and CFDs are not supplied by exchanges. They are instead provided by market makers. As such, the prices might not reflect market values and could be incorrect. Fusion Media is not responsible for trading losses that may be incurred as a consequence of the use of this data.

Fusion MediaFusion Media and anyone associated with it will not assume any responsibility for losses or damages arising from the use of this information. This includes data including charts and buy/sell signal signals. Trading the financial markets is one of most risky investment options. Please make sure you are fully aware about the costs and risks involved.

[ad_2]