Louisville cop charged with wanton endangerment in Breonna Taylor case pleads not guilty - as judge bans him from having firearms despite attorney arguing he may need to protect himself
Officer Brett Hankison, who was fired in the aftermath of the shooting, was charged with three counts of wanton endangerment
The lone Kentucky detective facing charges related to the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor pleaded not guilty Monday.
Brett Hankison was indicted on Wednesday and charged with endangering Taylor's neighbors with bullets he fired into an adjacent Louisville apartment during a March 13 drug raid. The other two officers involved in Taylor's shooting were not charged at all.
Taylor, 26, a black emergency medical technician and aspiring nurse, was struck by six bullets moments after she and her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, were roused from bed in the commotion of the raid.
Hankison was fired from the Louisville Metro Police Department in June for his actions during the raid on Taylor's apartment. If convicted, he could face up to five years in prison on each count.
He made his plea during an audio conference call before Jefferson County Circuit Court Judge Ann Bailey Smith, the Louisville Courier Journal reported.
Hankison's lawyer asked the judge to let Hankison keep his gun because he has seen death threats online; the judge did not grant the request. 'No, I will not,' said Jefferson County Circuit Court Judge Ann Bailey Smith.
He is the only officer to be fired and charged in relation to the Taylor case.
Hankison's two colleagues, Sergeant Jonathan Mattingly and Detective Myles Cosgrove, were not charged because the investigation found their actions were justified, the attorney general said. Those two other officers were reassigned to administrative duties in the aftermath of the shooting.
The decision not to charge the officers set off protests in Louisville and across the country.
A coroner’s report obtained Monday says Taylor was shot six times and died of multiple gunshot wounds. It says she was hit in the torso, her upper left extremity and both lower extremities. She tested negative for drugs and alcohol.
A Kentucky grand jury on Wednesday brought charges against one of three officers involved in the raid on Breonna Taylor's apartment that saw her shot dead by police in front of her boyfriend on March 13
Hankison's two colleagues, Sergeant Jonathan Mattingly and Detective Myles Cosgrove, were not charged because the investigation found their actions were justified. Those two other officers were reassigned to administrative duties in the aftermath of the shooting
WHAT IS WANTON ENDANGERMENT?
What is the charge?
Charges of wanton endangerment are brought when a person is found to have recklessly engaged in conduct, without concern for human life, that puts a person at risk of death or serious injury.
'A person is guilty of wanton endangerment in the first degree when, under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life, he wantonly engages in conduct which creates a substantial danger of death or serious physical injury to another person,' state law says.
What is the penalty?
Wanton endangerment in Kentucky is a class D felony.
It can bring a sentence of up to five years in prison.
How are the charges related to the Breonna Taylor case?
The three counts of wanton endangerment were brought against Officer Brett Hankison after the bullets he fired inside Taylor's apartment traveled into a neighboring apartment.
Crime scene photos show the walls of Taylor's apartment riddled with bullet holes.
Charges of wanton endangerment are brought when a person is found to have recklessly engaged in conduct, without concern for human life, that puts a person at risk of death or serious injury.
'A person is guilty of wanton endangerment in the first degree when, under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life, he wantonly engages in conduct which creates a substantial danger of death or serious physical injury to another person,' state law says.
Wanton endangerment in Kentucky is a class D felony; Hankison, who was indicted on three counts, could potentially face up to 15 years.
Before charges were brought, Hankison was fired from the city's police department on June 23.
A termination letter sent to him by interim Louisville Police Chief Robert Schroeder said the white officer had violated procedures by showing 'extreme indifference to the value of human life' when he 'wantonly and blindly' shot 10 rounds of gunfire into Taylor's apartment.
On Monday, Louisville's mayor lifted the curfew put in place after people refused to end their nighttime protests.
'The curfew served its purpose of helping ensure that most people were home safe by 9 p.m., because our past experience had shown that most violence and destruction occurs after dark,' the mayor's statement said.
'We sadly saw some violence, including the shooting of two police officers, one of whom remains hospitalized, dealing with complications of his injuries. But we believe the curfew helped, by ensuring fewer people were out late in the day.'
Kentucky state Rep. Lisa Willner, a Louisville Democrat, said Monday that she's starting to craft legislation that would narrow the scope of the state's rioting statute.
Her proposal, which she intends to offer in next year's legislative session, would protect people from being charged with first-degree rioting if they're present but don't engage in destructive or violent actions.
Her response comes after Democratic state Rep. Attica Scott was charged with the felony last week while participating in Louisville protests for racial justice.
Bodycam footage captured in the aftermath of Taylor's death and obtained by Vice magazine on Saturday shows inside her apartment after she was fatally shot by officers on March 13.
Sgt Mattingly, Detective Cosgrove and Officer Hankison burst down the door to Taylor's home shortly after 12.40am to conduct a 'no knock' search warrant in relation to a drug investigation.
At the time, Taylor and her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, were purportedly sleeping and the the loud intrusion of the officers startled them from their slumber.
Walker grabbed his legally-owned gun and began firing at officers, reportedly striking Mattingly in the leg.
The three officers promptly fired back in self-defense, with Taylor becoming caught in the crossfire. She was struck six times, and died at the scene.
According to Vice, the Louisville Metropolitan Police Department has 'insisted' that no bodycam footage exists of the actual raid itself.
However, they were able to obtain footage recorded by other officers and SWAT team members who responded to the shooting.
The publication shared two short clips, with the first showing an officer threatening to release a barking narcotics dog on Walker as he stands outside the apartment complex.
'Walk straight back or I will send this dog on you!' the cop repeatedly yells as Walker can be seen with his hands in the air.
Bodycam footage captured in the aftermath of Breonna Taylor's death has been released to the public for the first time, helping to paint a clearer picture of the botched police raid that led the 26-year-old's death. Taylor was shot dead in her own home in the early hours of March 13
Breonna Taylor is pictured above with her boyfriend Kenneth Walker. He opened fire on the officers who stormed into Taylor's apartment and the officers returned fire
The footage then shows Officer Hankison and another policeman placing Walker in handcuffs. Walker was charged for attempted murder after striking Mattingly in the leg. The charge was later dropped.
Meanwhile, a second video - recorded on the same night - shows Hankison inside Taylor's apartment after the shooting took place. Vice claims that is a violation of police investigation procedure.
In the clip, Hankison can be heard asking a SWAT team member about shell casings seen on the ground.
The SWAT officer sounds uncomfortable and orders Hankison to leave the scene.
'I'd back out until they get PIU in here,' he states, referring to the Public Integrity Unit, which is responsible for investigating officer-involved shootings.
It's not the first bodycam video that has been released from the fateful night.
Earlier this week, the lawyer of Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly posted bodycam footage that showed him after he had been shot in the leg by Walker during the botched raid.
Walker claimed he only fired because the cops didn't identify themselves.
Mattingly's lawyer shared the video to Twitter, hitting out that Mattingly had been branded 'a 'murderer,' when all he did was defend himself'.
Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly is allegedly seen on the ground outside Breonna Taylor's apartment after being shot in the leg by her boyfriend Kenneth Walker in the raid that killed her
During the raid, Mattingly entered first, and at the end of a corridor saw Taylor and her boyfriend, with Walker pointing a gun.
Walker fired, injuring Mattingly in the thigh. Mattingly returned fire, and his colleagues began shooting soon after.
Hankison fired 10 bullets. Six bullets hit Taylor but there is no 'conclusive' evidence that any came from Hankinson's gun, Cameron said.
Bullets fired by Hankison traveled into a neighboring apartment which led to the charges against him.
In the bodycam footage, Mattingly can be seen lying on the ground while his colleagues purportedly escort him away from the scene of the shooting for medical attention.
Other cops can be saying to 'grab under his arms' and 'cover him, let's go' as they attempt to move the injured Mattingly.
'Go a little faster', another officer says, although no ambulance is seen.
The cops attempt to bring the bleeding Mattingly to the top of a vehicle's trunk to get him away from the scene.
The car then drives away toward the exit of the apartment complex.
Matting was taken to hospital for surgery for the gunshot wound.