Breonna Taylor case delayed again; inclement weather cited

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Jury selection for the trial of an ex-police officer involved in the raid that killed Breonna Taylor has been delayed until next week because of inclement weather, a court official said Wednesday.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear declared a state of emergency in advance of a storm that is expected to produce sleet, snow and ice across the state. All state office buildings are closed.

Brett Hankison, a former Kentucky police officer, has pleaded not guilty to three counts of wanton endangerment for allegedly firing wildly into the apartments of Taylor’s neighbors during the March 2020 raid. Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman who worked as an emergency medical technician, was shot multiple times. No drugs were found in her apartment, and the warrant was later found to be flawed.

The questioning of potential jurors was originally delayed until Thursday because Hankison was recovering from minor surgery. Angela Bilewicz, Jefferson Circuit Court Administrator, confirmed in an email that because of the imminent storm, jury selection will now be postponed until next Tuesday. The jury selection process is expected to take weeks.

No officers were charged for causing Taylor’s death. Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron determined that the officers fired into her apartment in self-defense after Taylor’s boyfriend shot at them first as they broke into her apartment. Cameron acknowledged that Taylor’s death was heartbreaking but did not give a grand jury the option of charging anyone with killing her.

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Hudspeth Blackburn is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.