One of the Cops Who Killed Breonna Taylor Just Got Fired

It’s been just over three months since a group of Louisville police officers barged into Breonna Taylor’s apartment and killed the 26-year-old EMT in her sleep. Now, after weeks of international protests against police brutality and mounting public outcry demanding consequences for Taylor’s killers, the Kentucky city’s police department has announced that one of the cops responsible will soon be out of a job.

Mayor Greg Fischer confirmed to the Associated Press on Friday that interim Louisville Metro Police Department chief Robert Schroeder had begun termination proceedings for officer Brett Hankison.

“It’s about damn time,” Sam Aguiar, an attorney for Taylor’s family, told the AP. “It should have happened a long time ago, but thankfully it’s at least happening now.”

“This is an officer that’s plagued our streets and made this city worse for over a dozen years,” Aguiar continued. “Let’s hope that this is a start to some good, strong criminal proceedings against Officer Hankison, because he definitely deserves to at least be charged.”

No action has been taken against Jon Mattingly or Myles Cosgrove, the other two officers involved in Taylor’s death, WLKY reports; according to the AP, they’ll remain on administrative leave pending the ongoing investigation into the shooting. None of the three men have been charged with anything at press time, though Hankison is currently under investigation for allegedly sexually assaulting two women while on duty.

Taylor has become a pivotal figure during the Black Lives Matter protests triggered by George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police on May 25. Demonstrators all over the world have chanted her name and held signs bearing her likeness in the hopes of finding justice for the young woman, whose life was taken way too soon.