DOJ asks for one-day sentence for officer convicted in raid that led to shooting death of Breonna Taylor

The officer was convicted on one count of abusing the civil rights of Breonna Taylor for firing shots through Taylor’s bedroom window in the 2020 raid.

A former officer convicted in the raid that led to the 2020 shooting death of Breonna Taylor in her Louisville, Ky., home is set to be sentenced next week, and the Department of Justice (DOJ) is asking that he be sentenced to one day, according to CNN. 

Hankison could face a maximum sentence of life in prison based on the charges.

Officer Brett Hankison was convicted in November 2024 on one count of abusing the civil rights of Breonna Taylor by firing shots into her apartment. In a court filing ahead of sentencing—and in a move likely to re-inflame tensions—the DOJ said that although he “was part of the team executing the warrant, Defendant Hankison did not shoot Ms. Taylor and is not otherwise responsible for her death.”

They continued, “Counsel is unaware of another prosecution in which a police officer has been charged with depriving the rights of another person under the Fourth Amendment for returning fire and not injuring anyone.” In an unusual move, the filing was submitted by Harmeet Dhillon, Trump’s appointee to run the Civil Rights Department, as opposed to lawyers involved in the case. 

In addition to the request for a one-day sentence (effectively time served, meaning he would not return to jail), the DOJ is also asking for a three-year supervised release. In their filing, they also note that because of the guilty verdict, Hankison would be very unlikely to ever serve as a law enforcement officer, nor would he be able to legally own a firearm again. 

Hankison’s conviction stems from the March 13, 2020, botched no-knock warrant that took the life of 26-year-old emergency room technician Breonna Taylor. The incident became central to the Black Lives Matter movement protests, along with the murder of Ahmaud Arbery and the death of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin, all in 2020. 

Louisville Police enforced a no-knock warrant at the apartment of nursing student Breonna Taylor, using a battering ram to break open the door under the auspices of looking for a known drug trafficker whom Taylor previously dated. Though police claim they announced themselves, Walker said they never heard it. Both Taylor and her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, were in bed when the police broke through the door, leading Walker to believe they were being robbed, and he opened fire towards the front door. The Louisville Police then returned fire, to the tune of 32 shots, striking an unarmed Taylor several times, killing her. No drugs were found in her apartment. 

In March 2022, Officer Hankison was acquitted on state charges of felony wanton endangerment for firing bullets through Taylor’s window and sliding glass door; the bullets went into a neighboring apartment where three people were present. No officer was ever charged with the death of Taylor. Officer Hankison, along with two other officers, was fired from their jobs at the Louisville Police Department following the botched raid.