
Officer convicted in Breonna Taylor raid gets 33-month sentence
Another former officer, Kelly Goodlett, who pleaded guilty to conspiring with a colleague to falsify the affidavit used to obtain search warrant for Taylor's home and to cover up their actions after her death, will be sentenced next year. Taylor became a face of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020 following her death and the police killing of George Floyd, who was murdered during a police arrest that same year. She was killed after officers in plain clothes executed a "no-knock" search warrant at her home. They burst into her apartment in the early morning hours while she and her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, were asleep.Authorities believed Taylor's former boyfriend was using her home to hide narcotics.Mr Walker fired a single shot when the police knocked the door down, hitting one officer, Sgt John Mattingly, in the leg. Mr Walker said the officers did not announce themselves as police, and he thought they were intruders.The three officers returned fire, shooting 32 bullets into the flat.Hankinson fired 10 times into her apartment, in order, he said during the trial, to protect fellow officers.None of Hankison's bullets hit anyone, but they did enter a neighbouring property, where a pregnant woman, a five-year-old and a man had been sleeping.Prosecutors said Hankison acted recklessly and "violated one of the most fundamental rules of deadly force: If they cannot see the person they're shooting at, they cannot pull the trigger."Outside the courthouse, protestors waiting for the verdict blocked the streets chanting Taylor's name. Several people, including Taylor's aunt, Bianca Austin, were detained by police.
How was the justice department involved in this case?
In early November 2024, Hankison was convicted on one count of civil rights abuse. "His use of deadly force was unlawful and put Ms Taylor in harm's way," then Attorney General Merrick Garland, a Biden-appointee, said in a statement. "This verdict is an important step toward accountability for the violation of Breonna Taylor's civil rights, but justice for the loss of Ms Taylor is a task that exceeds human capacity."Days after Hankinson's conviction, Donald Trump won re-election - a political shift that meant the sentencing recommendation would come not from the Biden administration, which brought the charges, but from the Trump-led justice department.Last week, that recommendation - a request for Hankison to serve one day in prison - stunned some, including Breonna Taylor's family."Every American who believes in equal justice under the law should be outraged," attorneys for the family said. "Recommending just one day in prison sends the unmistakable message that white officers can violate the civil rights of Black Americans with near-total impunity."In its sentencing request, the justice department argued that although Hankison was involved in "executing the warrant" during the deadly raid, he did not shoot Taylor "and is not otherwise responsible for her death".The justice department also said that additional prison time "would simply be unjust under these circumstances". Ordinarily, sentencing recommendations are signed by lawyers involved in the case or career justice department employees who deal with sentencing requests. In this case, Trump's appointee to run the Civil Rights Department, Harmeet Dhillon, signed the recommendation.
What changes has Trump's justice department made?
Since returning to the White House, Trump has made rolling back Biden-era policies a priority, particularly at the justice department. In May, the justice department began the process of dismissing lawsuits brought against the Louisville and Minneapolis following controversy over high-profile police killings and brutality, including that of Taylor.Investigations into police constitutional violations in other cities such as Memphis and Phoenix were also ended. The justice department criticised the Biden administration for enacting "sweeping" oversight agreements "that would have imposed years of micromanagement" of local police by federal courts.During Biden's tenure, the justice department opened civil investigations into 12 state and local law enforcement agencies. In four of those - in Louisville, Minneapolis, Phoenix and Lexington, Mississippi - the department issued reports of systemic police misconduct. While accountability agreements were made with some of the police departments, they were not formally enacted. These changes have also come amid a mass exodus from the justice department. In the Civil Rights Division alone, the division of the department that made the Hankison sentencing recommendation, about 70% of attorneys have left since Trump was inaugurated, reports say.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Independent
8 minutes ago
- The Independent
Trump hits ‘too late' Jerome Powell as Federal Reserve keeps interest rates steady despite two board dissenters
President Donald Trump on Wednesday continued his attacks on Federal Reserve Board of Governors chair Jerome Powell as the American central bank again rebuffed his demand for lower interest rates, keeping them steady for at least another month. Speaking in the Roosevelt Room during a bill signing ceremony, the president hit out at Powell, who he has blamed for decisions made by the bank's powerful Open Markets Committee, using the derisive nickname he assigned him when he began to demand lower rates months earlier. 'We should be the lowest interest rate. And we're not. We're ... number 38 because of the Fed. It's all because of the Fed. He's done a bad job. Now. He's got a meeting today, but I call him too late. You know, he's always too late, even if he does it today, probably won't. I hear they're going to do it in September, not today,' Trump said. In a statement, the bank justified the decision to keep rates steady by noting that while employment and economic growth remain steady after Trump's first half-year in office, the rate of inflation remains "somewhat elevated." Powell offered some further explanation during remarks announcing the decision in which he stressed that Trump's "reciprocal tariffs" have led to some increased inflation around goods, the long-term economic effects of tariffs remain to be seen. The Fed's decision to keep interest rates stagnant comes the same day that the Bureau of Economic Analysis released its report showing that GDP grew by 3 percent in the last economic quarter between April and June. This came after the previous quarter where GDP actually shrank, which Trump blamed on his predecessor Joe Biden. The decision comes after weeks of bullying and browbeating of Powell by Trump and his allies, including top officials at the Office of Management and Budget and the Federal Housing Finance Administration, who have seized on long-running renovations at the Fed's headquarters as a possible pretext under which Trump would fire Powell, who he appointed to lead the Fed during his first term.


The Independent
8 minutes ago
- The Independent
US sanctions Brazil's Supreme Court justice overseeing case against Bolsonaro
The U.S. Treasury Department on Wednesday announced sanctions on Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes over alleged suppression of freedom of expression and the ongoing trial of former President Jair Bolsonaro. De Moraes oversees the criminal case against Bolsonaro, who is accused of masterminding a plot to stay in power despite his 2022 election defeat to current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. 'De Moraes is responsible for an oppressive campaign of censorship, arbitrary detentions that violate human rights, and politicized prosecutions — including against former President Jair Bolsonaro,' U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent said in a statement. The Treasury cited the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, which targets perpetrators of human rights abuse and corrupt officials, as its authority to issue the sanctions. The decision orders the freezing of any assets or property de Moraes may have in the U.S. Brazil's Supreme Court and the Presidential Palace did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Wednesday's announcement follows the U.S. State Department's announcement of visa restrictions on Brazilian judicial officials, including de Moraes, on July 18. It also comes after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a 50% tariff on Brazilian imported goods that is set to come into effect on Friday. In a letter announcing the tariff, Trump explicitly linked the import tax to what he called the 'witch hunt' trial of Bolsonaro currently underway in Brazil. Days later, Bolsonaro was ordered to wear an ankle monitor after being deemed a flight risk. Bolsonaro's son Eduardo celebrated the Treasury's announcement on X, calling it a 'historic milestone' and a warning that 'abuses of authority now have global consequences.' Eduardo Bolsonaro relocated to the U.S. in March and is under investigation for allegedly working with U.S. authorities to impose sanctions against Brazilian officials. ____


Daily Mail
8 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
NBA legend arrested for allegedly running underground illegal gambling ring at Encino mansion
Former Washington Wizards star Gilbert Arenas has been arrested and charged with running an illegal gambling operation out of his mansion in Encino, California. The case against him was announced by the US Attorney's Office for the Central District of California on Wednesday. Named alongside Arenas are five co-conspirators who have been charged with operating and illegal gambling business.