A FORMER US police detective has been convicted of using excessive force on Breonna Taylor during a botched 2020 raid that left her dead.

A jury returned the late-night verdict on Friday, having cleared Brett Hankison earlier in the evening of using excessive force on Ms Taylor’s neighbours.

It is the first conviction of a Louisville police officer who was involved in the deadly raid.

Ms Taylor’s mother, Tamika Palmer, said: “It took a lot of time. It took a lot of patience. It was hard.

“The jurors took their time to really understand that Breonna deserved justice.”

The Louisville Metro Police Department said it respects the jury’s verdict.

The death of the 26-year-old black woman, along with the May 2020 police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, sparked racial injustice protests worldwide.

Martin Luther King Jr’s daughter Bernice Kind said: “While it cannot restore Breonna to her family, [the verdict] represents a crucial step in the pursuit of justice and a reminder that no-one should be above the law.”

Mr Hankison faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.