DOJ Seeks One-Day Sentence For Officer Convicted In Breonna Taylor Raid Leading To Death

The Justice Department is seeking a one-day sentence for Officer Brett Hankison of Kentucky, who was convicted in connection to the raid that led to Breonna Taylor’s death.

While Hankison was convicted of three counts of felony wanton endangerment for blindly firing 10 shots into her home, the DOJ is arguing that he wasn’t convicted of killing her. In fact, none of the officers involved in the raid were charged with her actual death, and therefore, shouldn’t serve time for it.

While he, “was part of the team executing the warrant, Defendant Hankison did not shoot Ms. Taylor and is not otherwise responsible for her death,” the DOJ wrote ahead of the officer’s Monday (July 21) sentencing.

“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,” prosecutors wrote in their filing.

The request of a one-day sentence would mean time served for the officer, and he would not return to jail. Three years of supervised probation release was also requested.

The filing was signed by Pres. Trump appointee to run the Civil Rights Department, Harmeet Dhillon, and a senior non-career official in her division. Neither was involved in the case, nor do they usually handle sentencing requests, CNN reports.

Taylor was shot and killed during a raid on her home as officers were looking for her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker III, who later said he thought they were intruders, leading him to open fire. Walker was initially charged with attempted murder of a police officer and first-degree assault, but prosecutors later dropped the charges.