Federal trial of ex-officer in Breonna Taylor case begins

Jury selection has begun in the trial of an ex-police detective accused of violating Breonna Taylor's civil rights in a deadly March 2020 raid.

Former detective Brett Hankison has pleaded not guilty to the charges and was acquitted on separate state charges last year.

Ms Taylor was killed when police officers tried to execute a search warrant on her apartment in Kentucky.

Her death sparked racial injustice rallies across the US.

According to Louisville authorities, Mr Hankison fired 10 shots during the chaotic "no-knock" raid, although another detective, Myles Cosgrove, fired the fatal shot that struck Ms Taylor, a 26-year-old black woman.

Prosecutors claim that Mr Hankison endangered Ms Taylor, her boyfriend and three neighbours by needlessly using excessive force during the incident.

In March 2022, a Kentucky jury found him not guilty of three counts of felony wanton endangerment.

During the trial, Mr Hankison repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and said he believed he was coming under fire. He described seeing silhouettes and muzzle flashes after police used a battering ram to knock down Ms Taylor's door.

Ms Taylor's boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, shot and wounded one of the officers during the raid. Mr Hankison has said he fired his weapon to "stop the threat".

Mr Walker has since received a $2m (£1.7m) settlement from the city.

In March of this year, the US justice department announced that a two-year civil investigation determined that the Louisville police department engaged in a long pattern of civil rights violations and systemic misconduct, including unjustified neck restraints and the unreasonable use of police dogs and Tasers.

Another former detective involved in the case, Kelly Goodlett, pleaded guilty to federal charges that she helped falsify a search warrant for officers to enter Ms Taylor's home without any probable cause, and then lied to investigators in a bid to cover up the false warrant.

Two other ex-officers, Joshua Jaynes and Kyle Meany, are still facing similar charges.

If convicted, Mr Hankison faces a maximum sentence of life in prison since the alleged violation of Ms Taylor's constitutional rights resulted "in death or involves an attempt to kill", according to the justice department.

The trial, being held at a federal court in Louisville, is expected to last three or four weeks.

The death of Ms Taylor, along with that with Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia and George Floyd in Minnesota, sparked widespread anti-racism protests across the country.