Breonna Taylor: Officer involved in EMT’s shooting death is accused of sexual assault while on duty [Report]

Kentucky officials said they plan to investigate sexual assault allegations made against an officer involved in the March 13 death of Breonna Taylor, an EMT who police reportedly shot multiple times while executing a no-knock warrant at the wrong apartment.

Louisville Metro Police spokesperson Dwight Mitchell told People that the department’s Public Integrity Unit contacted two women who took to social media last week and accused officer Brett Hankison of sexually assaulting them in separate instances. Mitchell said the Public Integrity Unit reached out to the two women so they “can initiate and conduct an investigation.”

The two women, who presumably have no connection to one another, described similar encounters with Hankison. Both women alleged they were on their way home from bars when Hankison, in uniform, offered them a ride home in a marked police vehicle. The women claimed Hankison then forced himself on them, according to Fox News.

In April of 2018 I went out to a bar with some friends. I went to call an uber home and a police officer who I had…

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One of the accusers reportedly wrote on Instagram that a friend filed a report on her behalf the following day but nothing was done. Officials haven’t disclosed whether Hankison was previously investigated for sexual misconduct or sexual assault.

Hankison was reportedly involved in the raid which resulted in officers shooting Taylor, 26, eight times as she slept. However, Louisville Metro police claimed they announced themselves and were returning gunfire from Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, 27. Walker was initially charged with the attempted murder of a police officer and first-degree assault but prosecutors dropped the charges due to lack of evidence.

Fox News also reported that Hankison is the subject of a federal lawsuit in which he’s characterized as a “dirty cop” who planted drugs and framed people. The civil lawsuit was filed by Kendrick Wilson, who alleged that Hankison arrested him three times between 2016 and 2018, each time at a bar Hankison was working at off-duty.

Wilson claimed he and Hankison had a relationship with the same woman. The lawsuit stated that during one of the arrests, Hankison was filmed teasing Wilson and joking with officers about planting drugs on him. Wilson claimed he filed a report of an internal affair against Hankison but discontinued it because of the pending lawsuit and lack of legal representation at the time, according to Fox News.

No members of law enforcement have been criminally charged or arrested in connection with Taylor’s shooting death.

View this post on Instagram

This is Brett Hankison. In early fall, I began walking home from a bar intoxicated. A police officer pulled up next to me and offered me a ride home. I thought to myself, “Wow. That is so nice of him.” And willingly got in. He began making sexual advances towards me; rubbing my thigh, kissing my forehead, and calling me “baby”. Mortified, I did not move. I continued to talk about my grad school experiences and ignored him. As soon as he pulled up to my apartment building, I got out of the car and ran to the back. My friend reported this the next day, and of course nothing came from it. Flash forward, I see his face. This face. Involved with the shooting of Breonna Taylor. I then find out he has a history of corrupt behavior. He has had multiple sexual assault allegations, and was in a federal lawsuit over planting narcotics on a black man to arrest him. Not all cops are bad, but this one is. Right now, Mr. Hankison is walking free. Reading this, I hope you know this is not about me, but the reform that needs to take place. Please use your voices to speak up of the injustice occurring throughout our community. #silenceisviolence #sayhername #breonnataylor

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[Featured image: Breonna Taylor/Instagram; Brett Hankison/Louisville Metro Police Department]