Louisville, Kentucky, police did a lot of questionable things before, during, and after the March 2020 drug raid that killed Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old EMT and aspiring nurse. Their lapses included a misleading, legally deficient search warrant affidavit; a reckless, middle-of-the-night home invasion that led to a lethal confrontation; and a conspiracy to cover up the misrepresentations that preceded the raid. But the most baffling aspect of the incident was Detective Brett Hankison's decision to blindly fire 10 rounds from outside Taylor's apartment through a bedroom window and a sliding glass door that were covered by blinds and curtains.
On Friday, after deliberating for more than 20 hours over three days, a federal jury in Louisville convicted Hankison of willfully violating Taylor's Fourth Amendment rights under color of law by firing five rounds through the bedroom window. Although none of the bullets struck Taylor, federal prosecutors argued that Hankison endangered her life by unlawfully using deadly force.
