Breonna Taylor's aunt handcuffed outside courthouse ahead of ex-detective's sentencing
The ex-officer is set to be sentenced on July 21 after a federal jury last year found him guilty of violating Taylor's civil rights. The 26-year-old Black woman was killed during a botched raid on her home, and her death sparked nationwide demonstrations for equality in 2020.
In video captured by The Courier Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network, Austin was seen standing in outside the Gene Snyder Federal Building as cars continued to try to move down the street. It was unclear if she was detained or fully arrested.
Police officials have not responded to attempts to confirm Austin's status, but she was not listed among current inmates at the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections as of 3:45 p.m. July 21.
Video captured by other news media from outside the courthouse shows another person standing in front of a Louisville Water truck and jumping on its hood. That person was later seen also being handcuffed and led to a police cruiser.
Who is Brett Hankison?
Hankison is one of the officers involved in the raid that killed Taylor in March 2020.
He fired 10 rounds into Taylor's apartment through a covered glass door and window. Three of those rounds traveled into a neighboring apartment with a man, pregnant woman and 5-year-old inside. None of the rounds fired by Hankison hit Taylor or any of the neighbors.
In a sentencing memorandum filed July 16, the U.S. Department of Justice recommended Hankison receive a one-day prison sentence followed by three years of supervised release and a $100 fine. The sentence would be considered time served since Hankison would earn credit for the day he was booked and made his initial appearance in court.
The recommendation has drawn pushback from some community members who argue the sentence would be too lenient considering the gravity of the conviction. Hankison faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Reporter N'dea Yancey-Bragg and photojournalist Jeff Faughender contributed. Contact reporter Killian Baarlaer at kbaarlaer@gannett.com or @bkillian72 on X.
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Ohio politicians use Cincinnati fight for their agenda, ignoring tougher issues
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Ohio Gov.. Mike DeWine, a Republican, gets that complaining about an issue is no solution. Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval has accepted help from the governor's that includes traffic enforcement to free up police, data analysis of where crime happens and the use of a helicopter for criminal suspect searches, and vehicle pursuit mitigation from the Ohio State Highway Patrol. It would be too much like work to push for policies that address the bevy of real problems that impact Ohio communities, big and small. Take gun violence and domestic violence, for instance. As bad as the Cincinnati fight was, no soul was lost. Gun violence is a real issue in Ohio According to Johns Hopkins University, guns were the leading cause of death among children and teens in 2022. There were 1,831 deaths that year, including 102 children. According to the report, 1,046 of those gun deaths were suicides and 738 were homicides. The prior year, there were 155 domestic violence-related homicides in Ohio. 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There are solutions to gun violence but our leaders on the state and national levels do not have the will to push for them. It is easier and smarter to stoke fear. Through their statements and social media posts, they conjure images of "lawless thugs" enabled by Democratic city leaders like Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval, who, according to them, lean so far to the left that they are barely upright. Pureval is considered one of the few stars in Ohio's politically weak Democratic Party. Of course, he's a target. Pureval should have jumped ahead of the scandal. Part of a mayor's responsibility is to create safe environments for people in their cities. People were hurt, and the city's reputation — at least in the short term — was damaged. That doesn't change the fact that Vance, Moreno and the rest are using it to feed fear and score points with online trolls. 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I know maybe more facts will come out in this situation, but this is the point that's true: This is happening in America, across our cities, like it did in Cincinnati. It's not tolerable." It shouldn't be tolerated, but it is flatly inflammatory to claim it is a common occurrence. There is no mass outbreak of people being beaten up on the streets of America. There are real problems and real solutions. It saddens me that officials with the ability to do good won't do anything but make things worse. It is an outrage that they'd rather divide us with racist tropes than bring us together. Amelia Robinson is The Columbus Dispatch opinion editor. T This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Cincinnati fight makes good race-bait for Ohio politicians | Opinion Solve the daily Crossword
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14 hours ago
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Security guard pleads guilty in death of man restrained outside Milwaukee hotel
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Erickson and Turner were employed by the hotel as security guards; Williamson worked as a bell driver door attendant; and Johnson-Carson was a front desk agent. In Wisconsin, felony murder carries a maximum punishment of 15 years in prison. Court records show prosecutors haven't made a sentencing recommendation yet for Erickson. Swanson said in court he would "take into account" Erickson's willingness to take responsibility in the case at sentencing. Erickson remained free on bond, and will be sentenced Sept. 3 — the same day as the three other men charged in connection to Mitchell's death. Francis Gigliotti death: 7 Massachusetts officers placed on leave after man died following struggle with police What happened to D'Vontaye Mitchell? A criminal complaint said Mitchell was outnumbered during the deadly encounter, in which the 43-year-old was repeatedly punched and hit with a broom after he was brought to his knees. Surveillance footage from the hotel showed Mitchell running through the lobby into the gift shop before entering a women's restroom. Turner is seen going into the same restroom, in which then he escorts Mitchell out. A struggle then ensued between Turner and Mitchell in the hotel's main lobby, according to the footage and criminal complaint. Turner tried to grab Mitchell, but Mitchell resisted, the footage showed. Once in the lobby, the men are seen in the footage pushing each other. It's there that Turner begins punching Mitchell, who is knocked to the floor. The incident draws the attention of a hotel guest, who intervenes to help Turner. According to the complaint, the hotel guest and Turner escorted and later dragged Mitchell outside — where a female Hyatt employee struck Mitchell in the legs with a broom. The complaint said Turner then punched Mitchell about six times and footage further showed Williamson and Johnson-Carter attempting to help Erickson and Turner force Mitchell down to his stomach. 'At some point, the individuals gained control of him and got him on his stomach," Milwaukee Police Detective Martin Saavedra testified at a preliminary hearing in August 2024. Once on his stomach, Mitchell is heard on a Facebook Live video captured by a bystander repeatedly saying "I'm sorry." Mitchell died after being restrained for roughly nine minutes by the men. Report: US sets another grim record for killings by police in 2024 Mitchell's death drew comparisons to other cases The incident garnered national attention — raising questions over the use of force — and drew immediate comparisons to George Floyd, an unarmed Black man who died in 2020 after a former Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck and back for more than nine minutes. Mitchell's death also sparked days of protests and demonstrations leading up to the Republican National Convention, which was held between July 15 and July 18, 2024, and hosted in Milwaukee. The case drew the attention of attorney Benjamin Crump, who has represented families across the country for personal injury and civil rights violations, including those of Floyd, Tyre Nichols, and Breonna Taylor. Crump, along with Milwaukee attorneys Will Sulton and B'Ivory Lamarr, negotiated a settlement between Mitchell's family and Aimbridge Hospitality, the third-party operator that manages the Hyatt. The Plano, Texas,-based company fired all four men after the criminal charges were handed down. Here's what has happened with the other defendants Turner, 35, of Milwaukee, reached a deal in March to plead guilty to felony as a party to a crime and cooperate with prosecutors. Prosecutors agreed to recommend probation for Turner in exchange for his testimony against any remaining defendants at trial. Also in March, Williamson, 53, of Milwaukee, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor battery, which is punishable by up to nine months in jail, plus a $10,000 fine. Johnson-Carson, 24, pleaded guilty that same month to misdemeanor battery in exchange for his cooperation and testimony. Prosecutors are recommending Johnson-Carson be given probation.
