WASHINGTON (US) – A Georgia prosecutor is expected to announce on Wednesday whether a former Atlanta police officer will face any charges in the fatal shooting of Rayshard Brooks at a Wendy’s parking lot last week.
Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard has said that if former officer Garrett Rolfe is charged, it would likely be for murder or felony murder, as he believed Brooks posed no threat and gunning him down was an unreasonable use of force.
The case has set off a debate on the police use of force and racial justice for African-Americans that started after George Floyd’s death during an arrest by a white police officer in Minneapolis on May 25.
Howard has also indicated voluntary manslaughter was also a possibility.
Some of the facts do not appear to be in dispute.
Brooks, 27, was reportedly asleep in a car in the drive-thru lane of a Wendy’s on Friday, obstructing traffic. A restaurant employee called 911, saying that a man wouldn’t move the vehicle and appeared intoxicated. The 911 tape was reviewed by Reuters.
After interaction with Rolfe and a second officer at the scene, Devin Brosnan, Brooks tussled with police and ran away with one of their Taser guns.
An autopsy conducted on Sunday showed that Brooks was shot twice in the back and died from blood loss and organ injuries. The coroner ruled the death a homicide.
Multiple demonstrations ensued and the Wendy’s was destroyed by fire during a protest over the weekend.
Rolfe was fired from the force on Saturday and Brosnan was placed on administrative duties.
(Photos syndicated via Reuters)
This story has been edited by BH staff and is published from a syndicated field