He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Hankison’s actions led to his firing from the Louisville Metro Police Department. Some of the bullets flew into a neighboring apartment but did not strike anyone.
Police were at Taylor’s apartment seeking evidence in a narcotics investigation that targeted her ex-boyfriend Jamarcus Glover, who lived at a different address at the time. After entering the apartment, officers opened fire, killing Taylor, after her boyfriend Kenneth Walker fired a single shot toward the front door believing there was an intruder.
An attorney for Hankison has argued that the former officer had to act quickly because he believed his fellow officers were being “executed” when Walker fired his gun. Police said the bullet from Walker’s gun hit former police Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly in the leg.
Mattingly fired six shots during the commotion and another former officer, Myles Cosgrove, fired 16, including the one that killed Taylor. Neither officer was criminally charged.
Last year, Hankison was acquitted by a Kentucky jury on charges of wanton endangerment. State prosecutors accused him of illegally putting Taylor’s neighbors in danger. The Justice Department brought new charges against Hankison months later.
