Source: @KristenClarkeJD / Twitter
Atlanta PD had one job, don’t murder anybody, and they failed. After the killing of Rayshard Brooks, the Atlanta police chief has resigned, one officer has been fired and the city is in turmoil as protests broke out in response to the 27-year-old being shot in the back as he ran way.
On Friday night (June 12), police were summoned to a Wendy’s in Atlanta, where a car was blocking the drive-thru. Brooks was in the aforementioned vehicle and reportedly asleep.
After allegedly failing a sobriety test, the situation escalated with Brooks resisting arrest. Bodycam footage and footage from the Wendy’s indeed showed Brooks resisting and getting into a scuffle with the two arresting officers. He managed to take one of the cops’ tasers and began running away. A cop with a taser in hand gave chase and Brooks did turn around and fire (he seemingly missed) the taser he had in his hand.
This is when one of the officers—Garrett Rolfe—used deadly force, shooting Brooks with his firearm. Brooks died while he was in the hospital.
So was deadly force justified on a man who was clearly running away, and for the crime of sleeping in his car? Where you stand depends on your status on the racism scale.
After the shooting, Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields resigned while the cop who shot and killed Brooks has been fired. Nevertheless, the incident sparked riots in Atlanta on Saturday night (June 13) and the Wendy’s where it occurred has been burned to the ground. While Rolfe got sacked, his partner, Devin Bronsan, has been placed on modified duty.
A witness took video of the altercation, and it quickly went viral.
In what was clearly an attempt at damage control, the Atlanta PD quickly released its own body cam footage. It doesn’t vindicate them considering the circumstances.
The fact deadly force is being used on Black people when it was not necessary is just one of the reasons protests have ignited across the globe in response to the murder of George Floyd. Atlanta PD only add more gasoline to a fire that was seemingly coming under control.
According to Brook’s lawyer, he was a father of four, and he was shot three times in the back. Check out some poignant reactions Rayshard Brooks execution below.
