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Rayshard Brooks

Rayshard Brooks, a 27-year-old African American man, was shot and killed by a white police officer in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, on the evening of June 12, 2020.[1][2][3]

The Following detail is about who this man was and via Wikapedia.

Brooks was drunk and resisted arrest. He wrestled on the ground with two police officers, one of whom tased him. Brooks stole a taser from one of the officers, then fired the taser at one of them as he ran away. The same officer then shot Brooks in the back with his sidearm.

Video of the incident went viral. Atlanta chief of police Erika Shields resigned the next day.[4][5]

Protesters later burned down the Wendy's where the shooting had taken place.[6]

One of the officers, Garrett Rolfe, was placed on administrative duty, meaning office work instead of going out into public spaces,[7] and later fired.[8] In mid-June, Rolfe was charged with eleven crimes,[9] including felony murder and aggravated assault. If a jury convicts him, Rolfe could spend life in prison or even be executed.[7] The other officer, Devin Brosnan, was charged with aggravated assault. The court issued arrest warrants for both men. They were told to turn themselves in by Thursday night, June 18.[8] Brosnan and Rolfe both came to court. Brosnan was charged and then released on bail.[10] The judge said Rolfe's crime was too serious for him to grant bail right away, so Rolfe was put in Gwinnett County Jail, and his bail hearing was scheduled for Tuesday, June 23.[11]

PEOPLE INVOLVED

 Rayshard Brooks, a 27-year-old black man

 Garrett Rolfe, a white officer with the Atlanta Police Department for 13 years[12][7]

 Devin Brosnan, a white officer with the Atlanta Police Department for 2 years[12][7]

EVENT

According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, around 10:35 p.m., officers were called to the Wendy's because Brooks had fallen asleep in his car in the drive-though lane so that people had to drive around him. The officers gave Brooks a test to see if he was drunk. He failed the test, and the officers tried to arrest him. Brooks stole a taser from one officer and ran off. The GBI said Brooks fired the taser at the officer, narrowly missing him. The officer then shot Brooks. The GBI promised to release video footage of the shooting to the public.[13] These details are confirmed from the footage of the incident recorded by the camera on Wendy's.

The lawyers for Garrett Rolfe and for the prosecution said different things. Rolfe's lawyers, the LoRusso Law Firm, said that Rolfe heard a gunshot noise and saw a flash of light and thought Brooks had a real weapon. They said he fired his gun thinking he was protecting himself and the people at the Wendy's. Rolfe's lawyers said Rolfe immediately called for an ambulance and immediately tried to help Brooks.[8] According to the county district attorney, Rolfe kicked Brooks after shooting him, and neither of the two police officers tried to help Brooks for two minutes.[7]

According to the GBI and district attorneys, Brooks and the police talked peacefully for a over forty minutes before they tried to arrest him. They said he claimed he was not too drunk to drive and then offered to walk to his sister's house nearby instead of driving.[7] Brooks was taken to a hospital where doctors performed surgery, but he died.[13]

LAW

in Georgia, police are allowed to shoot someone if that person poses an immediate threat to any other person.[8]

BACKGROUND

The shooting occurred two weeks into the George Floyd protests and several months into the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States

AFTERMATH

There were protests outside the Wendy's where Brooks was killed. On June 13, someone set the Wendy's on fire and it burned almost completely. On June 24, Rayshard Brooks' girlfriend, Natalie White, was charged with arson for this crime. Her lawyer said she did not do it.[14]

EMPLOYMENT ACTIONS

The next day, Rolfe was fired and Brosnan was placed on administrative duty.[8] On August 4, Rolfe's attorneys filed a lawsuit against Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and Acting Police Chief Rodney Bryant for unlawful dismissal, seeking Rolfe's reinstatement, along with back pay and benefits.[26][27]

PROSECUTIONS

Following standard procedure, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) opened an investigation.[28] The county medical examiner ruled Brooks' death a homicide.[29]

On June 17, while the GBI investigation was still ongoing, Paul Howard, the Fulton County District Attorney (DA), announced eleven charges against Rolfe: felony murder, five counts of aggravated assault, four police oath violations, and damage to property.[30] Brosnan was charged with aggravated assault and two counts of violation of oath.[31][32] Howard argued the taser Brooks had taken posed no danger, as after being fired twice it could not fire again; that Rolfe and Brosnan did not provide timely medical aid to Brooks for over two minutes; and alleged that Rolfe kicked him and Brosnan stood on his shoulders;[22] and that it was a violation of department policy for Rolfe to begin handcuffing Brooks before telling him he was being arrested.[16][20]

Brosnan was released on June 18 after posting a $50,000 signature bond.[33] Around June 18, the Georgia Law Enforcement Organization, a law enforcement nonprofit, began raising funds for Rolfe to pay his legal fees, raising $500,000 by August 13.[34][35][36] Rolfe was released on July 1 on a $500,000 bond with conditions.[37][38]

On or about July 14, Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr requested that the GBI widen its investigation into the Fulton County DA's office, headed by Howard, to determine whether grand jury subpoenas seeking information about Rolfe were legally issued. Howard was already the subject of a GBI investigation concerning his use of a nonprofit to funnel almost $200,000 of city funds into his personal bank account.[39][40]

On July 20, Rolfe's attorney filed a motion seeking to have DA Howard recused from the Rolfe prosecution on the basis that the he would be called as a necessary witness by the defense to answer regarding statements he made that the attorney alleged were “ethically inappropriate" and actions that allegedly "systematically sought to deprive Garrett Rolfe of a fair trial and impartial jury."[39]

During the week of August 2, the DA's office applied to obtain a search warrant to gain information about the fundraising site set up for Rolfe, attempting to obtain information including on who had established the site, how much money had been raised, and where the money went, representing it wanted the information to support a possible bond violation charge. One of Rolfe's attorneys condemned the request stating, "...he [DA Howard] sought to uncover the private information of Americans who donated to Garrett Rolfe’s defense because they believed in his innocence.” Subsequently, a judge denied the warrant application.[36]

On August 4, the day Rolfe's attorneys filed the lawsuit for reinstatement, the DA's office filed a motion to revoke Rolfe's bond, alleging that Rolfe had traveled to Florida without permission.[41][26][27] Rolfe's attorneys filed a response with the court stating the bond conditions neither placed Rolfe on house arrest/home confinement, nor was he prohibited from traveling out of state, and that they had, as a courtesy, notified prosecutors of his travel via email prior to traveling.[42] On August 12, the presiding judge refused to revoke Rolfe's bond, but amended it prohibiting out of state travel.[43] On August 12, DA Howard was defeated in his bid for re-election.[44]

REACTIONS

Demonstrators gathered at the site of the shooting beginning June 12.[45] On June 13, protesters set fire to the Wendy's restaurant outside which Brooks was shot as well as several nearby cars, and broke a television camera.[46][47][48] A woman acquainted with Brooks was charged with first-degree arson in connection with the restaurant fire.[49] Protests continued in the area around the Wendy's, there were problems with armed protesters closing adjacent streets with barriers, and on July 4 an 8-year-old girl was killed when the car she was riding in was shot at by protesters.[50]

On June 13, Atlanta's police chief Erika Shields resigned; Mayor Bottoms said Shields had resigned in the hope that "the city may move forward with urgency and [rebuild] the trust so desperately needed throughout our communities."[51][52][53] On June 15, Mayor Bottoms ordered the Atlanta Police Department to overhaul its use-of-force policies.[54]

Beginning the day after charges against Rolfe were announced, Atlanta police officers called in sick for their shifts, staging a "blue flu" protest.[55][56][57] In the four days from June 17 to 20, about 170 officers called in sick and officers in 3 out of the city's 6 police zones did not respond to calls.[58] On the evening of June 19 every police officer failed to report for duty in Zone 5, leaving only the three supervisors.[59] Atlanta's Acting Police Chief Bryant said that the department had "to shift resources to insure proper coverage" due to police absenteeism.[60] Total arrests citywide dropped by 71% during the sickout.[61] Mayor Bottoms said the sickout was a reaction to two weeks of strife during which eight APD officers were criminally charged in two separate incidents, sinking morale "ten-fold."[21][62] On June 18, the Atlanta Police Foundation, a private nonprofit group, announced that all APD officers would receive a one-time $500 bonus for continuing to work through the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent George Floyd protests.[63][64]

The burned Wendy's was demolished.[65] For more information refer to Wikapedia for more detail. Click on the link Below..

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_of_Rayshard_Brooks