Hankison said Taylor « didn’t need to die that night. » Breonna Taylor’s mother, Tamika Palmer, then stormed out of the courtroom.
Former Louisville detective testified in his own defense Wednesday about his actions during the police raid that killed, saying the gunfire began with a muzzle flash that illuminated the shadowy silhouette, and he thought it was someone firing an automatic rifle at his fellow officers. Hankison is charged with three counts of wanton endangerment, a felony with a sentencing range of one to five years. Asked if he did anything wrong during the raid, he said « absolutely not. » As for Taylor, he said « she didn’t need to die that night. » Breonna Taylor’s mother, Tamika Palmer, then stormed out of the courtroom. Hankison said that as a police battering ram broke open Taylor’s door, the blast of a gun lit up the apartment’s hallway and his fellow officer fell wounded in the doorway. « The percussion from that muzzle flash I could feel, » Hankison said, apparently struggling to maintain his composure as he described Sergeant Jonathan Mattingly going down.
