Breonna Taylor Case: Experts Warn US Government Decision Grants Impunity To White Officers

Donald Trump’s administration has sought a one-day jail time for Brett Hankinson, a former Kentucky police official.

Hankinson was leading a raid on the home of a Black woman named Breonna Taylor in which she reportedly died.

The court convicted Hankinson of violating the civil rights of Taylor and concluded that the official used excessive force.

According to American laws, the maximum punishment for this crime is life imprisonment.

Critics Slam The Decision Of Trump-Led Authorities

If the American government’s recommendation for Hankinson is agreed to by the judge, Hankison will be released from jail after one day and cleared of all the charges imposed on him.

However, the advocates for Taylor’s family have slammed the decision of the US government and stated that it is “an insult to the life of Breonna Taylor”.

They added that Americans who seek equal justice for all “should be outraged.”

“Just one day in prison” sends a message that “white officers can violate the civil rights of Black Americans with near-total impunity,” the advocates were quoted as saying by media reports.

Hankinson was the only police official charged and convicted for the raid in which Taylor was killed.

In response, the federal prosecutors noted that Hankinson is unlikely to join the police department again, and more jail term would be “unjust.” 

How Was Breonna Taylor Killed During The Raid?

They added that Hankinson did not shoot Taylor and hence was not “responsible for her death.”

Both Taylor and George Floyd, another Black man killed by Police officials, became the symbols of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020.

Taylor was killed as police officials barged into her home citing a “no-knock” search warrant.

Reportedly, Taylor and her boyfriend Kenneth Walker, were sleeping, when the police entered the apartment in civilian clothes.

The police officers claimed Walker was hiding narcotics at Taylor’s apartment.

Walker stated that the officers broke the door without announcing, and so he was forced to believe that they were burglars. 

In response, he fired a bullet which hit Sgt. John Mattingly, in the leg.

However, the officials hit back and shot 32 times into the flat, at least six of which hit Taylor, who died as a result.

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