An Atlanta police officer has been charged with murder for shooting a 27-year-old man in the back, justice officials announced on Wednesday, in the latest case to spark anger over police killings of African Americans.
Rayshard Brooks’ shooting came less than three weeks after a Minneapolis police officer’s killing of handcuffed African American George Floyd on May 25 fueled a national uproar over racism and police brutality.
Atlanta District Attorney Paul Howard said that police officer Garrett Rolfe had no justification for shooting Brooks as he fled, and aggravated the case by kicking his body as he lay on the ground bleeding.
Photo: AFP
He also said that Rolfe and fellow police officer Devin Brosnan contravened multiple police department regulations after they detained Brooks on Friday last week.
“We concluded that, at the time that Mr Brooks was shot, he did not pose an immediate threat of death or serious physical injury to the officers,” Howard said.
US President Donald Trump called the killing of Brooks “a terrible situation,” but went on to say that police officers have “not been treated fairly” in a Fox News interview on Wednesday.
“I hope he gets a fair shake because police have not been treated fairly in our country,” Trump said when asked about the charges against Rolfe. “But, again, you can’t resist a police officer like that, and they ended up in a very terrible disagreement and look at the way it ended. Very bad. Very bad.”
Brooks’ death ignited a fresh round of angry protests and forced the resignation of Atlanta’s police chief.
Howard said that a warrant was issued for Rolfe’s arrest on 11 counts, including felony murder — a homicide committed in the course of another felony crime — aggravated assault and multiple counts of contravening police procedures.
The murder count could bring a sentence of death or life in prison.
Brosnan, who has agreed to become a witness for the state in the investigation, faces three charges, including aggravated assault.
Brosnan and Rolfe found Brooks sleeping in his vehicle outside a Wendy’s fast-food restaurant on Friday last week.
Over a calm 20-minute interaction, they gave him an alcohol test and, after it proved positive, sought to arrest him for driving under the influence.
After a brief struggle, Brooks ran off with one of the officers’ Tasers and, as he swung his arm back to point it at them, Rolfe shot Brooks twice in the back.
The issue of whether Rolfe reasonably believed he was in danger was at the heart of deciding if he should be charged.
Howard said that a review of eight video recordings of the incident, from police cameras and bystander smartphone recordings, and multiple witnesses, showed that the officers themselves never displayed fear of danger from Brooks.
They never told Brooks that he was under arrest, and while he was shot and lay on the ground dying, Rolfe kicked him, while Brosnan stood on his shoulders.
Howard said that police officers are forbidden from shooting a Taser at a fleeing suspect.
“So you certainly cannot fire a handgun at someone who is running away,” he said.
Justin Miller, an attorney for Brooks’ family, said having the police officers charged was just “the starting point.”
He told a news conference step two was a conviction on all charges, but warned that justice would not come easily.
“How do you find justice for three little girls who will never see their father again?” he said.
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