A grand jury has only indicted one officer on criminal charges relating to the killing of Breonna Taylor. Detective Brett Hankison, the officer who shot Taylor, faces three counts of first-degree wanton endangerment. The Louisville Courier-Journal writes:
A wanton endangerment charge is a class D felony and carries a penalty of one to five years in prison. The charges read by Judge Annie O’Connell on Wednesday said that Hankison “wantonly shot a gun” into three apartments.
The occupants of those apartments were identified by initials.
None of them were BT — Breonna Taylor. That means it appears the grand jury did not find that Hankison wantonly fired into Taylor’s apartment the night she died.
The other two officers involved were not indicted.
Hankison was previously fired back in June. The former officer turned himself in Wednesday afternoon.
The Associated Press reports:
Taylor was shot multiple times by officers who burst into her home on March 13 during a narcotics investigation. No drugs were found in her home. Protesters across the country have demanded justice for Taylor and other Black people killed by police in recent months.
A crowd gathered in Louisville anticipating the decision. After it was read emotions ranged from tears to anger.