Video emerged this week of Rayshard Brooks' murder who was fatally shot by police in a Wendy's parking lot after falling asleep in his car. 27-year-old Brooks was shot by police on Friday night. As protests continue to take place across the country, including Atlanta, the Atlanta PD announced that they've fired Officer Garrett Rolfe earlier today. His partner, Devin Brosnan, has been placed on administrative leave.
The firing of Rolfe comes just a day after the police chief Erika Shields resigned from the position. "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," Shields said in a statement.
Brooks was shot and killed in a Wendy's parking lot after police attempted to get him to do a sobriety test. Bodycam footage of the incident was released to the public in the past few days showing Brooks complying with the police. As they continued to to press him to do a sobriety test, he said he was just going to leave his car in the parking lot and walk to his sister's home, yet both Rolfe and Brosnan pressed him to do a sobriety test for "investigation" purposes. Police attempted to cuff him but Brooks resisted and allegedly stole a taser which is when police fatally murdered him.
"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," Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said in a news conference. "I do not believe that this was a justified use of deadly force."
Brooks was taken to the hospital where he died after undergoing surgery.
Atlanta Police Shoot And Kill Black Man During Arrest
Rayshard Brooks was sleeping in his car at a Wendy’s Drive-Thru when the police were called.
Atlanta Police are in the news this morning as they shot and killed a black man at a Wendy’s Drive-Thru late last night. According to TMZ, 27-year-old Rayshard Brooks was sleeping in his car in the middle of the Drive-Thru and was blocking customers from getting their food. Eventually, the cops were called and they performed a field sobriety test before trying to place him under arrest. In a video taken by someone nearby, the cops can be seen struggling with Brooks, and eventually, the man tried to run away. That’s when cops chased him down and shot him in the back. Brooks eventually died of his injuries during surgery.
Following the shooting, many bystanders protested outside of the police tape, berating the officers for what they had done. This shooting took place in the midst of nationwide protests against police brutality and it’s very clear that people are fed up with black men and women being killed by the cops.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is currently looking into the matter and as TMZ noted, this is the 48th officer-involved shooting they’ve had to look into in 2020.
Stay tuned for updates on this story as we will be sure to bring them to you.
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