Brett Hankison Found Not Guilty on All Charges Stemming From Deadly Police Raid That Killed Breonna Taylor

Breonna Taylor, 26, was killed on March 13, 2020

by officers executing a "no-knock" warrant.

Nearly two years after her death triggered protests across the country against police brutality and calls to
"arrest the cops that killed Breonna Taylor,” the only police officer charged in the fatal “no-knock” police raid that led to the death of the 26-year-old EMT, has been found not guilty of wanton endangerment.

A Kentucky jury cleared former police officer, Brett Hankison, on Thursday of charges he endangered neighbors when he fired shots into an apartment during a 2020 drug raid that saw officers with the Louisville Metro Police Department execute a search warrant at the wrong home and ended in Taylor’s death.

Taylor and her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, had been in bed when the plainclothes cops arrived just after midnight but got up when they heard banging at the door. In earlier court proceedings, Walker said they both called out for the intruders to identify themselves. When they received no answer, according to Walker, and the door was broken off its hinges, he fired a warning shot.

BREAKING: Brett Hankison, the only cop charged over the police raid that killed #BreonnaTaylor, was found not guilty.

He was charged for wanton endangerment — not for killing Taylor, but for firing shots into a neighbor's home. A grand jury cleared the officers who shot Taylor. pic.twitter.com/lTry8NRwY0

— AJ+ (@ajplus) March 3, 2022

Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly was struck in the thigh by that bullet. Mattingly, officer Myles Cosgrove and Hankison responded with 32 shots of their own in return. Taylor was struck six times. Cosgrove who was responsible for 16 of those rounds was determined to have fired the shot that killed Taylor.

Hankison, 45, admitted to firing 10-rounds blindly through Taylor's patio doors and bedroom window from outside at the trial, but he said he did it to save his fellow officers.

When asked if he did anything wrong during the raid, Hankison replied: “Absolutely not." He added, “She didn’t need to die that night.” Following the exchange, Breonna Taylor’s mother, Tamika Palmer, stormed out of the courtroom.

POWERFUL words spoken by Breonna Taylor's mom Tamika Palmer today. And she's so right. This is now bigger than Breonna. This is about bring our communities together and creating the change we want in America. #SayHerName #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/wKsnSAvowr

— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) August 13, 2020

Hankison was the only officer involved to face charges related to the botched raid. A grand jury found that the two other officers who fired on Taylor that night acted in self-defense after Mattingly was shot. That jury found that several bullets Hankison fired went into a neighboring unit where a pregnant woman, a man and a child were home.

While Taylor’s family has yet to get the justice it sought, led by Palmer and other activists some progress has been made in her name. After Kentucky Attorney General David Cameron’s office declined to seek charges against any of the officers in connection to Taylor’s death, protestors filled the streets for months. Eventually, a $12 million settlement was reached between the family and the city of Louisville, Kentucky. It included a major reform package that banned “no-knock” raids amongst other changes.

Serena Williams Rips 'New York Times' Coverage of Her Venture Fund's Success

Photo Courtesy of Serena Ventures

Her Venture Fund Raised $111 million, but 'NYT' Posted Picture of Williams' Sister With its Reporting on Serena Ventures Milestone

It’s been a big week for tennis icon Serena Williams.

Tuesday, the superstar’s venture capital firm, Serena Ventures, announced it has raised $111 million via its blog. It was a huge coup for the company that says it will “invest in founders who solve everyday problems through unconventional thinking and diverse points of view.”

Reaching the milestone drew high praise from 23andMe CEO and co-founder Anne Wojcicki, a limited partner in Serena Ventures who knows something about raising capital.

"I have been so impressed with Serena Ventures and the extraordinary mentorship and support they provide entrepreneurs,” she said. “Serena has built an exceptional team of diverse experts with branding expertise and strategic advice to help founders as they navigate building their companies.”

By Wednesday, however, Williams wasn’t focused on talking about the firm's portfolio of 60 angel investments or championing the companies it has invested in — including fintech companies Cointracker and Propel, and edtech Masterclass — amongst others. Instead, she was calling out the “New York Times” for its coverage of her landmark moment.

"No matter how far we come, we get reminded that it's not enough," Williams said on Twitter on Wednesday, pointing out the fact that the Old Gray Lady ran a picture of her sister, and fellow tennis legend, Venus Williams with the story. "This is why I raised $111M for @serenaventures. To support the founders who are overlooked by engrained systems woefully unaware of their biases. Because even I am overlooked."

This was our mistake. It was due to an error when selecting photos for the print edition, and it did not appear online. A correction will appear in tomorrow’s paper.

— NYT Business (@nytimesbusiness) March 2, 2022

She ended her tweet by saying, "You can do better, @nytimes."

The Times took credit for the mistake in a response to the Twitter thread.

"It was due to an error when selecting photos for the print edition, and it did not appear online," the NYT Business account tweeted. "A correction will appear in tomorrow's paper."

Watch: Aretha Franklin's Granddaughter Auditions for 'American Idol'

Grace Franklin on "American Idol."

Even coming from a royal lineage is not a guarantee to get you a spot on "American Idol."

Grace Franklin, the 15-year-old granddaughter of the Queen of Soul, found that out the hard way when she auditioned for the long-running musical talent show on its 20th season premiere Sunday.

When asked how she came to stand before the judges, the teenager said, "My grandma is Aretha Franklin."

The statement elicited surprise from R&B legend Lionel Richie.

"Stop right there, that's your grandma!" exclaimed the "All Night Long" singer.

Unfortunately for young Grace, the elation would not last.

The music neophyte, who shared with the audience in a pre-taped segment before the audition, "I don't think I could fully grasp the fact that she [Franklin] was known worldwide, because to me she was always just grandma," sang two songs.

Her take on "Killing Me Softly," as popularized by Lauryn Hill of the Fugees, was called "a little sleepy and subdued" by country superstar and "Idol" judge Luke Bryan. Her next attempt at Franklin's hit "Ain't No Way," was agreed to be more "in her lane" by the judges, but that was not enough to sway Bryan and Richie who voted for her not to advance.

Bryan sternly declared, "For right now I'm a no," before Richie took a slightly gentler approach on the deciding vote.

"Grace Franklin, I love you and I think the best thing for you in life is to take a shot at going backwards," he said. "Go back and get a running start and come at this again."

Perry, who voted her through to the show's next round, stormed off the stage following the decision.

As she exited the judges' chambers the "Teenage Dream" singer said, "She's got stardust on her! There's something wrong with your ears. Y'all are insane!"

Richie, however, was not done. He rose from his seat to address Grace directly and told her, "Trust me! If you go and come back and put the shyness behind you and the voice in front of you, you're going to be something amazing and I don't want to be the one to make you tip over and fall at this stage," and gave her a hug.

Watch the full audition below: