LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The acquittal of an ex-Louisville officer tied to the botched drug raid that ended with Breonna Taylor's death is stirring the frustrations of her family and protesters.

The former officer, Brett Hankison, was not charged in her death and did not fire the shots that killed her.

Instead, he was charged with endangering neighbors when he fired into Taylor's apartment.

Taylor's mother, Tamika Palmer, sat in on the trial for several days.

She left the courtroom quickly Thursday after a jury cleared Hankison of wanton endangerment charges.

Palmer said later on social media that though the trial was not about her daughter's death, the former narcotics detective should have been convicted.

During his testimony, Hankison said that Taylor "didn't need to die that night," the Associated Press reported.

The former officer testified that the gunfire began with a muzzle flash that illuminated a shadowy silhouette, and he thought it was someone firing an automatic rifle at his fellow officers.

He added that he returned fire hoping to eliminate the threat.

In March 2020, Taylor, a 26-year-old Black medical worker, was fatally shot in her home during a botched police raid.

According to the news outlet, the obtained warrant was later found to be flawed.

Two of the officers who fired shots that struck Taylor, Myles Cosgrove and Jonathan Mattingly, were not charged.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. —

Witnesses continue to present evidence in the trial for one of the officers who was involved in the deadly raid of Breonna Taylor's apartment on March 2020.

Brett Hankison, now a former Louisville police officer, fired 10 shots in the raid, none of which hit Taylor, but prosecutors said they endangered the couple and child who lived next door.

During opening arguments Wednesday, prosecutors told jurors the case is not about the killing of Taylor, who was Black, or police decisions that led to the raid.

“Breonna Taylor should not have died that night,” said Barbara Maines Whaley, a prosecutor with the Kentucky attorney general's office. Whaley told jurors the city of Louisville paid millions in a civil suit, “but the money did not bring her back. Nothing will.”

Hankison is charged with three counts of wanton endangerment, a felony with a range of one to five years in prison.

Hankison's attorney, Stewart Mathews, told jurors that when the gunfire began, Hankison “was attempting to defend and save the lives of his fellow officers" and followed his police training.

He said Hankison’s shooting was justified during a chaotic scene lasting just 10 to 15 seconds.

Taylor, 26, worked as an emergency medical tech and was settling down for bed on March 13, 2020, when officers kicked in her door. They drew fire from Taylor’s boyfriend, who thought an intruder was breaking in. Two officers at the door returned fire, killing Taylor.

Taylor’s neighbor, Cody Etherton, was first on the stand and testified that he was nearly hit by Hankison's bullets in the apartment next door.

Several Louisville police officers who were with Hankison the night of the raid testified they served the warrant at Taylor's ground floor apartment as “knock and announce,” even though a no-knock warrant was approved. Several officers said they knocked at the address for minutes longer than usual.

Sgt. Michael Campbell testified that just before the shooting began, he was standing with Hankison, but like his colleagues, testified that he couldn’t tell what Hankison did.

“I don’t remember where he was at that point. I didn’t see him shoot,” Campbell said.

Hankison fired five of the bullets through the glass door and several more through a bedroom window.

Myles Cosgrove, who fired the bullet that killed Taylor, is scheduled to appear as a witness in Hankison's trial. The other officer present that night, former LMPD detective Jonathan Mattingly, has said he will plead the Fifth Amendment and refuse to testify, citing the pending U.S. Department of Justice investigation into the LMPD.

In all, more than 30 witnesses are slated to testify in a trial expected to last two to three weeks.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.

Brett Hankison's defense attorney put it succinctly during jury selection on Tuesday."Breonna Taylor has nothing to do with the charges against Brett Hankison this morning, and yet, she has everything to do with it," said Stew Matthews, as he questioned prospective jurors.Hankison is facing three counts of wanton endangerment, but those charges are not for Taylor's death. They are for shots fired into a neighboring apartment with three people inside.Hankison was one of three Louisville officers serving a no-knock search warrant on Taylor's apartment on March 20, 2022. When they entered, Taylor's boyfriend Kenneth Walker – who says he did not know the men entering his home were police officers – fired a single shot. The officers fired back and Taylor, who was behind Walker, was hit six times, police say. The bullet that killed her was fired by Myles Cosgrove, another officer who was present that night, according to the investigation that ensued.Cosgrove is scheduled to appear as a witness in Hankison's trial. The other officer present that night, former LMPD detective Jonathan Mattingly, has said he will plead the Fifth Amendment and refuse to testify, citing the pending U.S. Department of Justice investigation into the LMPD.In all, more than 30 witnesses are slated to testify in a trial expected to last two to three weeks."The commonwealth has the burden of proof in a criminal case and we gladly accept that burden of proof," said Barbara Whaley, the special prosecutor handling the case.Opening arguments are scheduled for Wednesday morning.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A jury has been selected in the trial of a former Kentucky police officer involved in the deadly narcotics raid that left Breonna Taylor dead.

The trial for former Louisville officer Brett Hankison will begin Wednesday morning when lawyers give opening statements.

Hankison has pleaded not guilty to three counts of wanton endangerment for allegedly firing wildly into Taylor's neighbor's apartments.

Attorneys returned to court Tuesday to winnow down a pool of 48 people to 12 jurors and three alternates.

Hankison will be tried on charges of wanton endangerment for shooting into the apartment of one of Taylor's neighbors on the night of the March 2020 narcotics raid.

The jury pool was selected from a pool of about 250 people.

The impending trial had been delayed for about a week because of inclement weather and due to Hankison having to undergo minor surgery.

In March 2020, Taylor, a 26-year-old Black medical worker, was fatally shot in her home during a botched police raid.

The Associated Press reported that the warrant obtained was later found to be flawed.

Two of the officers who fired shots that struck Taylor, Myles Cosgrove and Jonathan Mattingly, were not charged.

Cosgrove, who state investigators believe fired the fatal shot, was fired last January, months after Hankison was fired.

Last June, Mattingly, who was shot in the leg by Taylor’s boyfriend Kenneth Walker, retired.