Breonna Taylor, a Louisville EMT worker and aspiring nurse who was working on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic, was shot and killed in her home by three white police officers on March 13. None of the officers have been charged in connection to her case, but new details are beginning to emerge about the men responsible for taking her life. 

One officer in particular, Brett Hankinson, is accused of being a “dirty cop” and more than one woman has come forward to say he sexually assaulted them. The accusations which were originally made on social media, have,  according to People, caught the attention of the Louisville Metro Police, who plan to initiate an investigation into the matter. 

Hankinson is currently on administrative leave, along with Louisville officers, Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly and Officer Myles Cosgrove who are also culprits in Taylor’s death. Last October Hankinson was placed at the center of an ongoing federal lawsuit by plaintiff Kendrick Wilson, who alleged that the part-time security guard arrested him three times since 2016 and has a vendetta against him stemming from a relationship he had with a woman they both dated.

Hankinson’s work doing bar security seems to have made him familiar to women in the St. Matthews area which is located less than 10 miles from downtown Louisville. One of those women, Margo Borders, said in a Facebook post that she went out with friends and as she was going to call an uber home, Hankisnon offered her a ride home in his marked police car. When he got to Borders’ home, he invited himself in and sexually assaulted her.

In April of 2018 I went out to a bar with some friends. I went to call an uber home and a police officer who I had…

Posted by Margo Borders on Thursday, June 4, 2020

“Brett Hankison has a history of violence, sexual assault, and planting drug evidence on people,” Borders continued. “There have been multiple allegations against this man and reports but all cases dropped and no disciplinary action taken. He is currently on paid leave in Florida on the beach.

I implore all of you to demand justice for all of his victims, but mostly demand justice for Breonna Taylor.”

Protesters hold up signs on June 3, 2020, during a “Breonna Taylor and Black Lives Matter” protest in New York City. Brett Hankinson, along with Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly and Officer Myles Cosgrove are responsible for Taylor’s death.(Photo by Angela Weiss / AFP) (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)

Another woman, Emily Terry, shared a similar experience with Hankinson on Instagram. Like Borders, Terry claims that Hankinson offered her a ride home when leaving a bar intoxicated one night. She took the invitation as a kind gesture and was appalled after he started making sexual advances. The assault was reported the next day, but Terry says, “of course nothing came from it.” 

View this post on Instagram

This is Brett Hankison. In early fall, I began walking home from a bar intoxicated. A police officer pulled up next to me and offered me a ride home. I thought to myself, “Wow. That is so nice of him.” And willingly got in. He began making sexual advances towards me; rubbing my thigh, kissing my forehead, and calling me “baby”. Mortified, I did not move. I continued to talk about my grad school experiences and ignored him. As soon as he pulled up to my apartment building, I got out of the car and ran to the back. My friend reported this the next day, and of course nothing came from it. Flash forward, I see his face. This face. Involved with the shooting of Breonna Taylor. I then find out he has a history of corrupt behavior. He has had multiple sexual assault allegations, and was in a federal lawsuit over planting narcotics on a black man to arrest him.Not all cops are bad, but this one is. Right now, Mr. Hankison is walking free. Reading this, I hope you know this is not about me, but the reform that needs to take place. Please use your voices to speak up of the injustice occurring throughout our community. #silenceisviolence #sayhername #breonnataylor

A post shared by Emily Terry (@emily_terry1) on Jun 4, 2020 at 9:26am PDT

Last month Terry was reminded of the incident when she found out Hankinson was involved in Breonna Taylor’s tragic death. “Not all cops are bad, but this one is,” she wrote.  

Taylor would have turned 27 last week. Her family, activists, and protesters continue to demand justice in her case.

The post Officer Involved In Breonna Taylor’s Murder Has Alleged History With Sexual Assault appeared first on Essence.