Officer Involved In Breonna Taylor Fatal Shooting Pleads Not Guilty To Wanton Endangerment Charges
Brett Hankison, the only officer charged with any crime in connection to the shooting death of Breonna Taylor, has pleaded not guilty to three counts of wanton endangerment, the Louisville Courier-Journal reports.
The former Louisville Metro Police detective was indicted by a grand jury for shooting into Taylor's neighbor’s apartment. He faced no charges for Taylor's death. The 26-year-old EMT was struck with at least six bullets and died at the scene during a botched raid of her apartment on March 13. Hankison was firedin June after intense public pressure for justice. The other two officers involved in the deadly raid, Miles Cosgrove and John Mattingly, faced no consequences and have continued with their positions on the force.
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After Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron announced the decision to charge Hankison only with wanton endangerment of Taylor's neighbors, he was booked into jail and released a half hour later by posting a $15,000 bond.
During Monday's hearing, Judge Ann Bailey Smith asserted that Hankison would not be allowed to carry any firearms while out on bond. HIs attorney Stewart Mathews appealed the restriction, citing self-defense reasons and saying Hankison has received "multiple threats" in recent days. The judge, nonetheless, refused the request.
Hankison will appear in court again on October 28 for a pre-trial conference.
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