Former officer Brett Hankison is responsible for the death of Breonna Taylor

A former police officer in the state of Kentucky in the US has been found guilty of violating the civil rights of Breonna Taylor, a black woman who was killed in her home during a raid four years ago.

Brett Hankison, 47, could face up to life in prison after being convicted of aggravated assault against the 26-year-old professional.

But the jury also found him not guilty of another charge of violating the civil rights of one of Taylor’s neighbors. It was Hankison’s third trial.

The verdict marks the first time any police officer has been convicted in the deadly March 13, 2020 raid that made Taylor’s name a rallying cry during that year’s racial justice upheaval.

Taylor’s family members in court broke down in tears after Friday’s verdict, according to the Louisville Courier Journal.

Prosecutors wanted Hankison immediately arrested, but their request was rejected by the judge, a local newspaper reported.

A jury of five white men, one black man and six white women began their deliberations on Wednesday.

The lawsuit accuses Hankison of depriving Taylor of his right to be free from unreasonable arrest and depriving his neighbors of their right to be free from being deprived of their liberty without due process of law.

He shot 10 times in his home, to protect other officers when Taylor’s boyfriend opened fire when officers broke down the door.

According to the Courier Journal, Taylor’s mother, Tamika Palmer, said that after the verdict, she started to feel “defeated” as the jury’s deliberations continued, but she is “happy” that the case is over.

“It took 1,694 days. It was long, it was hard, it was – I don’t know if I have words (except) ‘thank you God.'”, he said.

Hankison made the decision during two days of testimony during the retrial, telling jurors he was “trying to stay alive, trying to keep my colleagues alive”.

He was the first of the four police officers charged in the case to face a judge.

Another former officer, Kelly Goodlett, pleaded guilty to forging a search warrant for Taylor’s home.

The two remaining officers had their charges dismissed by a judge earlier this year. The US Department of Justice recently filed new charges against the two.

Taylor was killed after plainclothes officers issued a “do not knock” warrant at his home. They entered her house early in the morning while she and her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, were sleeping.

Authorities believe Taylor’s ex-boyfriend used her home to hide drugs.

Mr Walker fired one shot as they knocked down the door, hitting one officer, Sgt John Mattingly, in the leg. Mr Walker said the officers did not declare themselves to be police, and he thought they were intruders.

The three officers returned fire, firing 32 bullets into the apartment.

Another officer fired the shot that killed Taylor, but prosecutors said his use of deadly force was justified because Walker opened fire first.

None of Hankison’s bullets hit anyone, but they did enter a neighboring property, where a pregnant woman, a five-year-old and a man were sleeping.

The subsequent police report contained errors, including describing Taylor’s injuries as “none” and that no force was used to penetrate, when the battering ram was used.

Hankison was fired from the Louisville Metropolitan Police Department in June 2020.

His previous trial last year ended in a mistrial when the judge told the jury he could not reach a unanimous verdict.

He was previously tried by a Kentucky state judge in March 2022, and acquitted on three counts of endangerment.

Taylor’s and Walker’s families both received housing in the city over the incident.

A series of police reforms were also introduced in Louisville.

Hankison will be sentenced on March 12 next year.