The jury found that Brett Hankison used excessive force in a botched police raid in 2020 in which a black woman was shot.

A former Kentucky state police officer has been convicted of violating the civil rights of Breonna Taylor, a black woman whose death in a police raid sparked protests for racial justice in the United States in 2020.

Brett Hankison, a former Louisville police officer, was convicted Friday of one count of civil rights violations, and a 12-member federal jury found he used excessive force on Taylor during the raid.

Hankison fired 10 shots into Taylor’s glass door and windows during the raid, but did not hit anyone. Some shots flew into a neighbor’s apartment next door.

Taylor, an emergency medical technician, was sleeping with her boyfriend on March 13, 2020, when police conducted a no-shock raid and entered her apartment. Taylor’s boyfriend fired one shot at what he said he thought were intruders. Three police officers responded with 32 shots, six of which struck Taylor, killing her.

Taylor’s mother, Tamika Palmer, celebrated the verdict with friends outside court, saying: “It’s been a long time coming. It took a lot of patience. It was hard. The jurors took the time to truly understand that Breonna deserves justice.”

Hankison was one of four officers indicted by the US Department of Justice in 2022 for violating Taylor’s civil rights. He is the first convicted and faces life imprisonment. He is due to be sentenced next March.

Prosecutors said Hankison acted recklessly and “violated one of the most fundamental rules of deadly force: If I can’t see the person I’m shooting at, I can’t pull the trigger.”

Two other officers remain charged with forging a search warrant. Last August, Kelly Goodlett, a former Louisville police officer, pleaded guilty to a federal conspiracy charge in connection with Taylor’s murder. Goodlett became the first officer to be prosecuted for the raid.

Taylor’s killing at the hands of police, along with that of George Floyd in Minnesota, Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia and others, have sparked mass protests demanding an end to deadly police violence against black people in the US.

Deputy Attorney General Kristen Clarke said Friday, “The Department of Justice will continue to vigorously defend the civil rights of every person in this country to be free from unlawful police violence.”