Ex-Louisville officer not guilty of endangering neighbors in Breonna Taylor raid

Ex-Louisville officer not guilty of endangering neighbors in Breonna Taylor raid

Transcript¹

A jury found former officer Brett Hankison not guilty of felony wanton endangerment for shots that went through a neighbor's wall. He's the only officer who has faced charges in the March 2020 raid.

A MARTINEZ, HOST:

A jury in Louisville, Ky., found a former police officer involved in the deadly raid on Breonna Taylor's apartment not guilty. Two years ago, Taylor was shot and killed during the botched raid, which was part of a narcotics² investigation³ focused on her ex-boyfriend. From member station WFPL in Louisville, Roberto Roldan reports.

ROBERTO ROLDAN, BYLINE⁴: Former Louisville Metro⁵ Police Officer Brett Hankison watched silently as the verdicts were read. The charges against Hankison stemmed from bullets he fired through Breonna Taylor's covered patio⁶ door and windows. Three of those bullets traveled through a shared wall and into the kitchen and living room of a neighboring apartment. Prosecutors⁸ allege⁹ that Hankison fired wildly, endangering the other residents. But his attorney, Stew¹⁰ Matthews, argued that Hankison didn't know the layout of the building. After the verdict, Matthews told reporters outside the courtroom that he thinks justice was done.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

STEW MATTHEWS: The jury felt like, you know, you go out and perform your duty, and your brother officer gets shot, and you've got a right to defend yourself.

ROLDAN: Asked whether Hankison wants to be a police officer again, Matthews said they hadn't discussed it.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

MATTHEWS: We've taken one day at a time. And today is the start of the rest of his life, basically.

ROLDAN: Taylor's mother and sister sat in the courtroom throughout the trial. When a prosecutor⁷ said the U.S. has the best justice system in the world, Taylor's sister shook her head. They left quickly and quietly after the verdict was read. There were no protests throughout the trial, surprising many observers. Shauntrice Martin, a local Black Lives Matter organizer, says many activists¹¹ were burnt out or still facing charges from the 2020 protests.

SHAUNTRICE MARTIN: Personally, I'm realizing that there are other places where we can create change because the state has already made its decision to protect the officers that killed Breonna Taylor.

ROLDAN: Martin says she thinks Hankison's trial, which wasn't even directly related to Taylor's killing¹², wasn't going to bring justice for her, regardless of the outcome. For NPR News, I'm Roberto Roldan in Louisville.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 narcotics   

n.麻醉药( narcotic的名词复数 )；毒品；毒

参考例句：

• The use of narcotics by teenagers is a problem in many countries. 青少年服用麻醉药在许多国家中都是一个问题。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Police shook down the club, looking for narcotics. 警方彻底搜查了这个俱乐部，寻找麻醉品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 metro   

n.地铁；adj.大都市的；(METRO)麦德隆(财富500强公司之一总部所在地德国，主要经营零售)

参考例句：

• Can you reach the park by metro?你可以乘地铁到达那个公园吗？
• The metro flood gate system is a disaster prevention equipment.地铁防淹门系统是一种防灾设备。

6 patio   

n.庭院，平台

参考例句：

• Suddenly, the thought of my beautiful patio came to mind. I can be quiet out there,I thought.我又忽然想到家里漂亮的院子，我能够在这里宁静地呆会。
• They had a barbecue on their patio on Sunday.星期天他们在院子里进行烧烤。

7 prosecutor   

n.起诉人；检察官，公诉人

参考例句：

• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。
• The prosecutor would tear your testimony to pieces.检查官会把你的证言驳得体无完肤。

8 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

9 allege   

vt.宣称，申述，主张，断言

参考例句：

• The newspaper reporters allege that the man was murdered but they have given no proof.新闻记者们宣称这个男人是被谋杀的，但他们没提出证据。
• Students occasionally allege illness as the reason for absence.学生时不时会称病缺课。

10 stew   

n.炖汤，焖，烦恼；v.炖汤，焖，忧虑

参考例句：

• The stew must be boiled up before serving.炖肉必须煮熟才能上桌。
• There's no need to get in a stew.没有必要烦恼。

11 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。