A former Louisville police officer was sentenced to 33 months in prison for violating the civil rights ofBreonna Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman who was killed during a botched raid on her home and whose death sparkednationwide demonstrationsfor equality. The July 21 sentence defied a last-minute request from federal prosecutors that Brett Hankison receive only a one-day sentence. In March 2020, the then-officer fired 10 rounds into Taylor's apartment,three of which traveledinto an adjacent unit. None of the rounds fired by Hankison hit Taylor or any neighbors, but he was charged with violating their civil rights in 2022. His first trial on those chargesended in a mistrialin 2023. In November, a second federal jury convicted Hankison of violating Taylor's civil rights but acquitted him of violating the rights of her neighbors. Taylor's mother, Tamika Palmer, several other family members and Kenneth Walker, her boyfriend at the time, all spoke in court to ask the judge to impose the maximum penalty. "A piece of me was taken from me that day. You have the power to make today the first day of true accountability," Palmer told the judge. Hankison faced a maximum sentence of life in prison, but the Department of Justicerecommended a one-day sentence,which would be considered already served because the "defendant gets credit for the day he was booked and made his initial appearance," a $100 fine and three years of supervised release. District Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings, who handed down the sentence, criticized prosecutors for making a "180-degree" turn in their approach to the case and said political factors appeared to have influenced them. "This sentence will not and cannot be measured against Ms. Taylor's life and the incident as a whole," Jennings said. In a brief statement to the court, Hankison apologized to Taylor's family and friends and said he would have acted differently if he had known about issues with the preparation of the search warrant that led police to Taylor's home that night. "I never would have fired my gun," he said. Taylor's mother Tamika Palmer said to reporters outside the courthouse that prosecutors were not aggressive enough, The Louisville Courier Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network,reported. "There was no prosecution in there for us. There was no prosecution in there for Breonna," Palmer said. "I'm grateful for the judge for giving some time because we could have walked away with nothing, according to what they recommended." An attorney for Taylor's family Lonita Baker commended the judge's sentence and said it is a step toward justice. Baker also called on the community to continue fighting for the prosecution of others involved in the raid. "This is one fight. We still have two other officers that this community has to demand that this Department of Justice continues to prosecute," Baker said. "Kyle Meany and Joshua Jaynes, we cannot forget about them." Breonna Taylor's aunt Bianca Austin was among four people arrested outside the courthouse as protesters awaited Hankison's sentencing, according toreportingby the Louisville Courier Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network. Louisvillejail recordsshow the 44-year-old was charged with disorderly conduct and obstructing a highway. Video captured by The Courier Journal shows Austin standing in an intersection as cars continued to try to move down the street. "We understand this case caused pain and damaged trust between our department and the community. We particularly respect and value the [First] Amendment. However, what we saw today in front of the courthouse in the street was not safe, acceptable or legal," police department spokesperson Matthew Sanders said in a statement. "Creating confrontation, kicking vehicles or otherwise creating an unsafe environment will not be tolerated." — Killian Baarlaer, The Louisville Courier Journal A pre-sentence report prepared by the United States Probation Office recommended a sentence between 11.25 and 14 years, according to court documents. However, the Justice Departmentsaid in a memo filed July 16the range was incorrectly calculated and "excessive," recommending that the court "grant a significant downward departure." "The government respects the jury's verdict, which will almost certainly ensure that Hankison never serves as a law enforcement officer again and will also likely ensure that he never legally possesses a firearm again," the memorandum said. "But adding on top of those consequences a sentence within the lengthy guidelines range — even when properly calculated — would, in the government's view, simply be unjust under these circumstances." The DOJ's recommendation drew condemnation from activists and Louisville residents. In a joint statement, the attorneys who represent Taylor's family called the suggested sentence "an insult." "This sets a dangerous precedent. When a police officer is found guilty of violating someone's constitutional rights, there must be real accountability and justice. Recommending just one day in prison sends the unmistakable message that white officers can violate the civil rights of Black Americans with near-total impunity," said attorneys Ben Crump, Lonita Baker, and Sam Aguiar. Taylor, an emergency room technician, was inside her apartment when shewas fatally shot by plainclothes officersaround 12:40 a.m. on March 13, 2020, during a narcotics investigation. Officers, who say they knocked and announced themselves several times before their forcible entry, had been attempting to serve a no-knocksearch warrant. Neither Taylor nor Walker were the target of the investigation, and no drugs were found in the home. Walker and several neighbors also say they did not hear the officers identify themselves as law enforcement. As police entered the apartment, Walker shot an officer in the leg. He later said he believed the officers were intruders. Taylor's death sparked months of protests in Louisville and around the country. The Louisville Metro Police and the city's governmentreached an agreement on civil rights reformswith the Department of Justice. But the plan was delayed by a lack of approval from a federal judge, and the DOJ announced in May it wouldabandon negotiations.However, area officials including Mayor Craig Greenberg have said they're still preparedto move forward. Hankison wasfired in June 2020andcharged at the state level in September 2020with three counts of wanton endangerment over the bullets that entered the neighboring unit. He wasfound not guilty of wanton endangermentin March 2022. He was charged with two federal counts of deprivation of civil rights the following August. The move came as prosecutors leveled additional charges against three other officers — Joshua Jaynes, Kelly Goodlett and Kyle Meany — involved with the warrant used in the raid. Goodlettpleaded guilty in August 2022to helping falsify an affidavit for the search of Taylor's apartment. The cases against Meany — charged with two counts of deprivation of civil rights and two counts of lying to federal investigators — and Jaynes — charged with two counts of deprivation of civil rights, two counts of falsification of records and two counts of conspiracy — are still open. Contributing: Rachel Smith, Louisville Courier Journal; Reuters This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Ex-officer gets 33 months for violating Breonna Taylor's civil rights