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A federal jury on Nov. 1 convicted a former Kentucky police detective of using excessive force on Breonna Taylor during a botched 2020 drug raid that left her dead.

The 12-member jury returned the late-night verdict after clearing Brett Hankison earlier in the evening on a charge that he used excessive force on Ms. Taylor鈥檚 neighbors.

It was the first conviction of a Louisville police officer who was involved in the deadly raid.

Some members of the jury were in tears as the verdict was read around 9:30 p.m. They had earlier indicated to the judge in two separate messages that they were deadlocked on the charge of using excessive force on Taylor, but chose to continue deliberating. The six-man, six-woman jury deliberated for more than 20 hours over three days.

Ms. Taylor鈥檚 mother, Tamika Palmer, celebrated the verdict with friends outside the federal courthouse, saying: 鈥淚t took a lot of time. It took a lot of patience. It was hard. The jurors took their time to really understand that Breonna deserved justice.鈥�

In a statement posted to social media Nov. 2, the Louisville Metro Police Department said that it respects the jury鈥檚 verdict and that since 2020, it has improved training, practices and policies, and implemented reforms emphasizing 鈥渁ccountability and thorough investigations.鈥�

鈥淚t is not lost on us that this event forever altered the fabric of our community, and we acknowledge the pain caused by the death of Breonna Taylor,鈥� the department said. 鈥淥ur officers are sworn to protect and serve the community, upholding the law with integrity and fairness. We condemn any behavior that runs afoul of the mission to help and protect our citizens.鈥�

鈥淏reonna Taylor鈥檚 life mattered,鈥� said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department鈥檚 Civil Rights Division. 鈥淲e hope the jury鈥檚 verdict recognizing this violation of Ms. Taylor鈥檚 civil and constitutional rights brings some small measure of comfort to her family and loved ones who have suffered so deeply from the tragic events of March 2020.鈥�

Mr. Hankison fired 10 shots into Ms. Taylor鈥檚 glass door and windows during the raid, but didn鈥檛 hit anyone. Some shots flew into a next-door neighbor鈥檚 adjoining apartment.

The death of the 26-year-old Black woman, along with the May 2020 police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis sparked racial injustice protests nationwide.

Bernice King, the daughter of Martin Luther King Jr., called the verdict 鈥渁 long-awaited moment of accountability.鈥�

鈥淲hile it cannot restore Breonna to her family, it represents a crucial step in the pursuit of justice and a reminder that no one should be above the law,鈥� Ms. King said in a social media post the night of Nov. 1.

A separate jury deadlocked on federal charges against Mr. Hankison last year, and he was acquitted on state charges of wanton endangerment in 2022.

The conviction against Mr. Hankison carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. He will be sentenced on March 12 by U.S. District Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings.

Mr. Hankison argued throughout the trial that he was acting to protect his fellow officers after Ms. Taylor鈥檚 boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, fired on them when they broke down Ms. Taylor鈥檚 door with a battering ram.

This jury sent a note on Oct. 31 to the judge asking whether they needed to know if Ms. Taylor was alive as Mr. Hankison fired his shots.

That was a point of contention during closing arguments, when Mr. Hankison鈥檚 attorney Don Malarcik told the jury that prosecutors must 鈥減rove beyond a reasonable doubt that Ms. Taylor was alive鈥� when Mr. Hankison fired.

After the jury sent the question, Ms. Jennings urged them to keep deliberating.

Mr. Walker shot and wounded one of the officers. Mr. Hankison testified that when Mr. Walker fired, he moved away, rounded the corner of the apartment unit and fired into Taylor鈥檚 glass door and a window.

Meanwhile, officers at the door returned Mr. Walker鈥檚 fire, hitting and killing Ms. Taylor, who was in a hallway.

Mr. Hankison鈥檚 lawyers argued during closing statements Oct. 30 that Mr. Hankison was acting properly 鈥渋n a very tense, very chaotic environment鈥� that lasted about 12 seconds. They emphasized that Mr. Hankison鈥檚 shots didn鈥檛 hit anyone.

Mr. Hankison was one of four officers charged by the U.S. Department of Justice in 2022 with violating Ms. Taylor鈥檚 civil rights. Mr. Hankison鈥檚 verdict is the second conviction from those cases. The first was a plea deal from a former officer who was not at the raid and became a cooperating witness in another case.

Mr. Malarcik, Mr. Hankison鈥檚 attorney, spoke at length during closing arguments about the role of Ms. Taylor鈥檚 boyfriend, who fired the shot that hit former Sgt. John Mattingly at the door. He said Mr. Walker never tried to come to the door or turn the lights on as police were knocking and instead armed himself and hid in the dark.

鈥淏rett Hankison was 12 inches away from being shot by Kenneth Walker,鈥� Mr. Malarcik said.

Prosecutors said Mr. Hankison acted recklessly, firing 10 shots into doors and a window where he couldn鈥檛 see a target.

They said in closing arguments that Mr. Hankison 鈥渧iolated one of the most fundamental rules of deadly force: If they cannot see the person they鈥檙e shooting at, they cannot pull the trigger.鈥�

Neither of the officers who shot Ms. Taylor 鈥� Mr. Mattingly and former Detective Myles Cosgrove 鈥� were charged in Ms. Taylor鈥檚 death. Federal and state prosecutors have said those officers were justified in returning fire, since Ms. Taylor鈥檚 boyfriend shot at them first.

This story was reported by The Associated Press.