Brett Hankison sentencing: Aunt of Breonna Taylor put in handcuffs
Breonna Taylor’s aunt, Bianca Austin, was put in handcuffs July 21 while protesters blocked traffic at the intersection of Sixth Street and Broadway. (Note: Video contains language that some viewers may find offensive.)
(This story was updated to include new information.)
Bianca Austin, aunt of Breonna Taylor, was among four people arrested July 21 outside of the Gene Snyder Federal Building in downtown Louisville as protestors awaited the sentencing of ex-LMPD detective Brett Hankison.
In video captured by The Courier Journal, Austin was seen standing in the intersection of Sixth Street and Broadway as cars continued to try to move down the street. Austin is listed as an inmate at the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections as of about 5 p.m. July 21 and is charged with disorderly conduct and obstructing a highway, court records show.
Police responded to the area after getting reports of protesters blocking traffic, according to Austin’s arrest citation. The Louisville Metro Police Real Time Crime Center, which was monitoring the situation with video cameras in the area, also informed officers that multiple people had jumped on a red PT Cruiser driving through the intersection.
When officers arrived, Austin was seen in the middle of the intersection, “clapping her hands” and blocking vehicles, the arrest citation states. She then approached officers while “clapping and yelling in their face.”
Austin is scheduled to appear in court for an arraignment July 22, according to court records.
LMPD has not released the names of the others who were arrested.
“We understand this case caused pain and damaged trust between our department and the community. We particularly respect and value the [First] Amendment. However, what we saw today in front of the courthouse in the street was not safe, acceptable or legal,” LMPD spokesperson Matthew Sanders said in a statement. “Creating confrontation, kicking vehicles or otherwise creating an unsafe environment will not be tolerated.”
Other video captured outside the courthouse shows another person standing in front of a Louisville Water truck as it drives down Broadway and jumping on its hood.
“This afternoon, as a crowd gathered near 6th and Broadway, a Louisville Water employee in their company vehicle was driving through area. As the employee encountered the situation, they did their best to safely leave the area,” Louisville Water spokesperson Kelley Dearing Smith said in a statement.
Sonja Wilde-de Vries, who witnessed the confrontations, said police intervened as multiple people were standing in the intersection. Officers quickly started placing individuals in handcuffs after arriving, she said.
“They just swooped in and immediately went for Bianca,” Wilde-de Vries said. “They did not give people a chance to get off the street.”
Hankison is one of the officers involved in the raid that killed Taylor in March 2020.
He fired 10 rounds into Taylor’s apartment through a covered glass door and window. Three of those rounds traveled into a neighboring apartment with a man, pregnant woman and 5-year-old inside. None of the rounds fired by Hankison hit Taylor or any of the neighbors.
A federal jury found him guilty of violating Taylor’s civil rights in November 2024.
In a sentencing memorandum filed July 16, the U.S. Department of Justice recommended Hankison receive a one-day prison sentence followed by three years of supervised release and a $100 fine. The sentence would be considered time served since Hankison would earn credit for the day he was booked and made his initial appearance in court.
The recommendation has drawn pushback from some community members who argue the sentence would be too lenient considering the gravity of the conviction. Hankison faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Photojournalist Jeff Faughender contributed. Contact reporter Killian Baarlaer at kbaarlaer@gannett.com or @bkillian72 on X.
