LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAND) - One of three officers tied to the deadly March 2020 police-involved shooting of Breonna Taylor is now facing charges.
Brett Hankinson was indicted by a grand jury on three counts of wanton endangerment Wednesday afternoon. The judge said this related to displaying "extreme indifference of human life."
The indictment showed the charges relate to bullets that were fired into neighboring apartments, not Breonna Taylor's.
Hankinson was terminated by the police department on June 23.
Hankinson is, so far, the only officer facing charges.
Six officers involved in the incident are under internal investigation, LMPD said.
He and two other officers, Hankison and Det. Cosgrove, then returned fire.
Taylor was shot. One shot was fatal. Prosecutors said one lab claimed Det. Cosgrove fired the fatal shot. Another lab could not determine which officer fired the fatal shot.
Walker, who was not hurt, dialed 911 and told the dispatcher someone had kicked in the door and shot his girlfriend.
Prosecutors said Det. Cosgrove and Mattingly were justified in returning fire after Walker shot at them.
Again, Hankinson's charges relate to stray bullets that he fired that hit neighboring apartments. People inside those apartments included a pregnant woman and a child. No neighbors were hurt.
If found guilty, Hanksinson could face up to five years on each charge for a total of up to 15 years in prison.
An FBI investigation into the shooting is still underway.
Springfield NAACP President Teresa Haley released a statement saying, "This is unfortunate. Here we go again. It is Deja vu. When are officers going to be charged with murder? I am not surprised. Enough is enough."
Gov. JB Pritzker, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and other leaders in a press conference following the Taylor case decision.Â
Pritzker called the decision to only charge one officer with wanton endangerment a "gross miscarriage of justice." Stratton called it "unacceptable" in her remarks.Â
Preckwinkle called for peace, saying "now is not the time for violence" and adding the people of Chicago "should not bear the brunt of this decision."Â
Pritzker said he wants people to protest peacefully. He raised concerns about people potentially trying to take advantage of police being distracted by potential unrest following this grand jury decision and said the public needs to be kept safe. He said Illinois State Police and the National Guard are prepared for possible unrest, with the Guard being a backup for frontline police officers.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot ended her remarks by calling for a moment of silence in Breonna Taylor's memory at 7 p.m. Wednesday.Â