One of the Louisville police officers involved in the shooting death of Breonna Taylor has been fired.
Interim Police Chief Robert Schroeder said Detective Brett Hankison “blindly fired 10 rounds” into Taylor’s apartment in the early morning hours of March 13 as he and two other officers executed a “no-knock” warrant as part of a drug investigation.
Schroeder’s remarks came in a termination letter against Hankison that was published on the Louisville Metro Police Department’s Facebook page.
Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer added that termination procedures have begun against Hankison.
Schroeder further wrote in Hankison’s termination letter that the officer “displayed an extreme indifference to the value of human life” when he shot into Taylor’s home, and that the officer’s conduct was “a shock to the conscience.”
“Unfortunately, due to a provision in state law that I very much would like to see changed, both the Chief and I are precluded from talking about what brought us to this moment, or even the timing of this decision,” Fischer said in a statement.
Investigators from the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office are also investigating the shooting.
Hankison is a the subject of an internal LMPS investigation regarding sexual misconduct allegations dating back to 2018.
FBI at Taylor’s apartment
FBI agents arrived at Taylor’s apartment Friday morning, over three months after her deadly encounter with Louisville police.
An FBI spokesman issued a statement on the investigation to media outlets:
FBI Louisville is conducting judicially authorized activity at 3003 Springfield Drive, Apt. 4. As we have before, FBI Louisville is conducting an independent investigation into all aspects of the death of Breonna Taylor. When investigating potential civil rights violations, the FBI will take a fresh look at all the evidence, including interviewing witnesses who have already spoken to the original investigating agency, interviewing witnesses who have not yet spoken to law enforcement, and examining all physical and video evidence to better understand what transpired. Today’s action is part of this process.
(Headline photo: Det. Brett Hankison)
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
