Jun 23, 2020 - Politics & Policy

Louisville police officer involved in Breonna Taylor shooting fired

Orion Rummler

Masked protesters carry signs with — Protesters hold pictures of Breonna Taylor, left, Andrew Kearse, center, and Ahmaud Arbery, right, during a demonstration on June 22 in Boston, Massachusetts. Photo: Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Louisville police officer Brett Hankison was fired on Tuesday, effective immediately, for "blindly" firing 10 bullets into Breonna Taylor's apartment on March 13, the police department announced.

Driving the news: Black Lives Matter protesters and activists on social media have called for punitive action in the wake of Taylor's death, after she was fatally shot by police who entered her apartment without warning through a "no-knock" warrant.

The announcement also comes amid nationwide police reform efforts driven by more than a month of protests.

What they're saying: "I find your conduct a shock to the conscious," interim Chief Robert Schroeder wrote in a letter to Hankinson. "I was alarmed and stunned you used deadly force in this fashion. You have never been trained by the Louisville Metro Policed Department to use deadly force in this fashion. Your actions have brought discredit upon yourself and the Department."

Flashback: Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer announced last week that Hankinson would be fired, but refused to share more information on additional steps that the department or city might take.

Go deeper: Breonna Taylor's family calls for police to release records on her death

Add Axios on Google

Louisville police officer involved in Breonna Taylor shooting fired

What to read next