The opening of former LMPD Detective Brett Hankison’s wanton endangerment trial has been delayed until Thursday, Feb. 3.
Hankison’s trial was set to begin on Tuesday morning, with the questioning of 250 potential jurors getting underway. But on Tuesday, Judge Ann Bailey Smith said Hankison had undergone a minor, unexpected surgery and was unable to be there that day.
Hankison faces three charges of wanton endangerment in the first degree for shots he fired during the March 13, 2020 raid on Breonna Taylor’s apartment that entered a neighboring home. The charges are not for Taylor’s death. No other officers involved in the raid face any charges.
Entering the courtroom more than half an hour after the trial was scheduled to begin on Tuesday, Judge Smith informed potential jurors and members of the media of the delay and instructed potential jurors not to discuss the case.
The trial is now slated to begin on Thursday morning at 10 a.m.. However, Louisville is under a winter storm watch starting Thursday morning, with the National Weather Service warning of possible accumulations of ice and snow that could cause “very difficult travel conditions.”
Voir dire — the questioning of jurors to identify potential biases — is set to take three weeks.
For a preview of the trial and a look back at how we got here, check out this story.
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