LOUISIVLLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A former Louisville Metro Police SWAT commander who arrived at Breonna Taylor's apartment shortly after she was fatally shot by officers testified that his reaction to Brett Hankison's actions were "complete and utter shock and disbelief."

In the fifth day of testimony in Hankison's federal civil rights trial, former Lt. Dale Massey testified he couldn't "fathom" an officer firing 10 shots into Taylor's home from where he was, through covered blinds and windows.

"You have to ensure (if you are going to shoot someone) that no one else is hurt by your negligence," Massey said. "You cannot shoot blindly into a structure without knowing what you're shooting at."

Hankison's attorneys pointed out that Massey did not see what Hankison saw that night.

Before Massey's testimony Wednesday morning, jurors went to Taylor's former apartment to see where exactly Hankinson was when he fired into Taylor's home and a neighboring apartment during the botched March 13, 2020, raid that lead to her death.

Hankison's defense team had asked for permission to show jurors the inside and outside of the apartment. 

The judge granted the motion allowing the jury to see the exterior of the apartment only.

The judge told jurors the scene visit was not evidence but a tool to help them better understand what is being presented in court.  

The prosecution rested its case Wednesday. 

Defense attorneys first witness is Det. Mike Nobles, one of the officers involved in the raid. 

Hankison fired five shots into Taylor's living room from outside through blinded windows, according to the prosecution. He fired five more shots through a bedroom window that was covered by curtains. Three of the bullets flew into an adjacent apartment where Cody Etherton, Chelsey Napper and her 5-year-old child lived.

Defense attorney Jack Byrd has said other officers will testify that they could see light coming through the windows and there is video footage to back up that testimony.

And no police officer or expert witness knows what Hankinson could see that night, he said.

The charges stem from the botched raid of Taylor's home in the middle of the night in which police officers busted down her door to serve a search warrant related to a drug dealer who lived 10 miles away.

When police burst in, Taylor's boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, fired a shot that hit former Sgt. John Mattingly in the leg. Walker has said he believed the couple were being robbed.

Multiple LMPD officers returned fire, killing Taylor, 26. No drugs were found in her home.

Hankison, 47, was indicted in August 2022 on two charges of deprivation of rights for firing into a bedroom window in Taylor's apartment that was covered with blinds and a blackout curtain after "there was no longer a lawful objective justifying the use of deadly force," according to the indictment.

If convicted, Hankison faces a possible maximum sentence of life in prison.

Related Stories:

Copyright 2023 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.