Atlanta protests erupt after police killing of black man
June 14, 2020
An Atlanta police officer has been fired and another officer placed on administrative duty following the fatal shooting of a black man, officials said early Sunday.
The moves follow the resignation of Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields, who stepped down on Saturday. The killing of Rayshard Brooks sparked a new wave of protests in Atlanta after the turbulent demonstrations that followed the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis had simmered down.
On Friday, officers responded to a complaint from a Wendy's fast-food restaurant that a man had fallen asleep in his car and was blocking the drive-thru lane. According to police, 27-year-old Brooks had failed a field sobriety test and, as a result, they attempted to arrest him.
Eyewitness footage reportedly shows the officers wrestling with Brooks before using a taser gun on him. At one point, Brooks managed to break free and run, with accounts differing on whether he had managed to take possession of one of the officers' taser gun.
"At that point, the Atlanta officer reaches down and retrieves his weapon from his holster, discharges it, strikes Mr. Brooks there on the parking lot and he goes down," said Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) Director Vic Reynolds.
At least three shots were fired as Brooks attempted to flee, according to Reynolds. Footage of the killing appears to show a person shouting "I got him" shortly after shots were fired, the GBI director said.
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'Unjustified use of deadly force'
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said she accepted police chief Shield's resignation and had also called for the officer responsible for killing Brooks to be fired.
Shields said she resigned "out of a deep and abiding love for this city and this department."
"It is time for the city to move forward and build trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve," said Shields.
The terminated officer was identified as Garrett Rolfe, who was hired in October 2013, and the officer placed on administrative duty is Devin Bronsan, who was hired in September 2018.
The police department also released body camera and dash-camera footage from both officers.
Brooks' killing comes amid nationwide protests against police brutality triggered by the death of unarmed black man George Floyd in police custody. Black Lives Matter activists have called for defunding police, a moratorium on chokeholds and community-centered law enforcement.
Demonstrators blocked an interstate highway and set alight the Wendy's restaurant where Brooks was killed, local media reported.
mm/dr (Reuters, AP)