Officers Arrested, Charged for Fatal Shooting of Rayshard Brooks
By: Bedaura Haseen
The Incident:
On the night of June 27, Officer Rolfe and Officer Brosnan responded to a complaint that a man was asleep in his vehicle in the drive-through of Wendy’s parking lot. The man later was identified as Rayshard Brooks.
Photo via AFP/Getty Images
According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigations, the officers gave Brooks a sobriety test in which Brooks allegedly failed. In videos that circulated on social media, Brooks complied with the officers and offered to leave us car, walk home, or have his sister pick him up until he was sober enough to get back to his car.
When the officers went to arrest Brooks, he “resisted and struggled” causing the officers to bring out the Taser. Brooks was able to get the Taser from the officers and ran. The officers chased Brooks on foot. During the chase, Brooks turned and pointed the Taser at the officer. This caused Officer Rolfe to fire, aiming at Brooks. Brooks was then taken to the hospital and later died after his surgery.
The Charges:
Garrett Rolfe pictured left, Devin Brosnan pictured right
Both Garrett Rolfe and Devin Brosnan were placed in administrative leave following the incident. Rolfe was a six-year veteran of the force and Brosnan has been with the department for less than two years. On June 17, Fulton County district attorney Paul Howard announced that Rolfe would face 11 charges including felony murder and aggravated assault. Devin Brosnan will face 3 charges including aggravated assault and violation of oath. On June 18, Rolfe turned himself in. In the announcement, Howard also showed images of Brosnan standing on top of Brooks’s shoulders after Brooks was shot. While Brosnan stands on Brooks’s shoulder, Rolfe starts to kick Brooks’s body. Now, Brosnan agreed to testify against Rolfe in court and is cooperating with the district attorney’s office. Following the announcement, Atlanta police reportedly called out sick to protest about the charges. The Atlanta Police Foundation announced they will provide a $500 dollar bonus to every APD officer.
The Response:
Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms condemned the incident and agreed that the officers should be fired. Bottom states, “While there may be debate as to whether this was an appropriate use of deadly force, I firmly believe that there is a clear distinction between what you can do and what you should do.” Bottoms also announced the Atlanta Police Chief, Erika Shields resigned. Shields said her resignation is “out of a deep and abiding love for this city and the department” and she continued, “I have faith in the mayor, and it is time for the city to move forward and build trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve.”
After the shooting, a crowd formed outside of the Wendy’s where Brooks was killed. Many protestors started chanting “no justice, no peace.” The protest continued on to the next day and some of Brooks’s family members joined, asking protestors to remain peaceful. Protests even broke out in the nearby streets and eventually blocked Interstate 85, next to the Wendy’s. There were disagreements between the protestors and the police which led law officials to use tear gas to break up the protest.
The Wendy’s site where Brooks was killed was set on fire Sunday, but it is unclear if the people responsible were protestors.
