Louisville's Police Department Fires An Officer Involved In Breonna Taylor's Death

Louisville's police department is firing one of the Louisville police officers involved in the March shooting death of Breonna Taylor.

Mayor Greg Fischer announced Friday morning that the chief of the Louisville Metro Police Department has started termination procedures against Brett Hankison.

Hankison was one of three officers put on administrative leave for the shooting death of Taylor, who was killed on March 13 when police entered her apartment.

Police Chief Rob Schroeder said that Hankison "displayed an extreme indifference to the value of human life" when he shot Taylor, as NPR member station WFPL reported.

In Schroeder's pre-termination letter to Hankison, which was released by the member station, he stated that he finds "your conduct a shock to the conscience."

The letter says that Hankison "wantonly and blindly fired ten (10) rounds" into Taylor's apartment.

Police officers executed a no-knock warrant at Taylor's apartment in the middle of the night on March 13. Her boyfriend Kenneth Walker, who was also in the apartment, believed the officers to be intruders, his attorney has said. He's a licensed gun owner and fired his weapon, hitting an officer in the leg.

Officers shot back, hitting Taylor eight times, killing her.

Protests in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd had brought attention back to Taylor's death. Demonstrators in Louisville and across the country are demanding justice for Taylor.

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