No other officer involved in the now-infamous operation has served prison time. Taylor’s killing, which occurred during a late-night no-knock drug raid, became a rallying cry in national protests against police brutality and systemic racism.
U.S. District Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings handed down the sentence on Thursday, rejecting the US Department of Justice’s (DOJ) recommendation of leniency and “no prison time.”
In a forceful rebuke, Judge Jennings called the prosecution’s suggestion “inappropriate” and “startling,” and emphasized that Hankison’s actions endangered lives and warranted real consequences.
During the botched raid, Hankison fired 10 bullets into Taylor’s apartment, but none struck anyone. His bullets, however, penetrated several walls—including into a neighboring unit where a family with a young child was sleeping—placing lives at serious risk.
Although Hankison was not directly responsible for Breonna Taylor’s death—she was killed by bullets fired by other officers—his conduct during the raid was found to violate civil rights protections. Attorney Ben Crump, who represents Taylor’s family and helped secure a $12 million settlement from the city in 2020, criticized the DOJ’s stance during the hearing. Standing outside the courtroom, Crump led supporters in chanting, “Say her name!” to which the crowd responded in unison, “Breonna Taylor.” The DOJ’s request for no prison time came as a surprise to many. Federal prosecutors argued that Hankison displayed “heroic behavior” when he realized the danger of the situation and tried to protect his fellow officers and civilians. They also suggested that his actions, while reckless, stemmed from a chaotic environment.
However, Judge Jennings pushed back, stating that even if Hankison hadn’t meant to harm anyone, firing blindly into a home where residents were sleeping should not be ignored or diminished.
After completing his 33-month sentence, Hankison will be subject to an additional three years of supervised release. The US Bureau of Prisons will determine the location and timing of his prison.
The officers who fired the lethal bullets that killed Taylor during the raid have not been held criminally responsible.
This sentencing comes more than five years after Taylor, a 26-year-old emergency medical technician, was killed in her own apartment while asleep. The warrant used to justify the raid has since been discredited and was part of broader investigations into misconduct within the Louisville Metro Police Department’s narcotics unit.
