Killing of Rayshard Brooks

Rayshard Brooks was a 27-year-old African American restaurant worker who lived in Atlanta.[1] He had been married eight years and had three daughters and a stepson.[2][3] In a February 2020 interview he discussed the two years he spent in prison and his difficulties after being released, such as difficulty finding work.[4][5] A driving under the influence conviction could have led to revocation of his probation and a return to prison.[6][7]

Garrett Rolfe earned a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Georgia State University in 2013 and began with the Atlanta Police Department that year.[8][9] In 2016 he received a written reprimand for aiming his gun at a stolen car being pursued; the department's investigation concluded that Rolfe and other officers had engaged in erratic and unsafe driving that presented unacceptable risk to the public, and that after the vehicle had stopped and its occupants had surrendered, the officers used force that was "clearly unreasonable and unnecessary".[9] In January 2020 he received training on the use of deadly force at the county police academy, and in April he took a nine-hour course on de-escalation techniques.[10]

Devin Brosnan has been an Atlanta police officer since 2018.[11]

External video

Brosnan's body camera on YouTube (Rolfe moves to handcuff Brooks at 43:00)

Rolfe's body camera on YouTube (Rolfe moves to handcuff Brooks at 29:00)

Witness video of Brooks, Rolfe, and Brosnan struggling on YouTube (38 sec)

Security camera video showing Rolfe shooting Brooks and subsequent events on YouTube

At 10:42 p.m. on June 12, 2020, Atlanta Police Department officer Devin Brosnan arrived at the Wendy's restaurant at 125 University Avenue in South Atlanta to investigate a report of a man (Brooks) asleep in a car which was blocking the drive-through lane.[12][13] Brosnan awakened Brooks and told him to move the car to a parking space and take a nap; Brooks fell asleep again without moving the car. Brosnan again woke Brooks and Brooks parked the car. Brosnan checked Brooks's driver's license and radioed for assistance from an officer certified to conduct driving under the influence investigations.[14][15]

Officer Garrett Rolfe arrived at 10:56[12] and, with Brooks's permission, performed a pat-down search for weapons, a field sobriety test, and a breathalyzer test.[16] Brooks appeared impaired[17][18] and was confused about where he was.[19] He said he had had one to one-and-a-half drinks[10] and denied driving[13] or being too drunk to drive.[12] The Breathalyzer registered a blood alcohol level of 0.108%, above the legal limit of 0.08%.[10] Brooks asked to leave his car in the parking lot overnight and walk to his sister's house a short distance away.[20] News outlets have characterized Brooks as relaxed,[13] friendly,[14] and cooperative.[18]

At 11:23,[13] Rolfe told Brooks: "All right, I think you've had too much to drink to be driving. Put your hands behind your back for me";[16] he and Brosnan then moved behind Brooks to handcuff him.[11] Brooks tried to break free and he and the officers scuffled on the ground. During the struggle Brosnan drew his taser, but Brooks wrested it from him and fired it;[21] Brosnan says the taser contacted him and he struck his head on the pavement.[17] Brooks stood up and punched Rolfe, who drew his own taser and shot Brooks with it.[18] Brooks fled through the parking lot with Brosnan's taser still in hand. Rolfe pursued him and fired again with his own taser.[13] While still running, Brooks glanced back, half-turned, and fired the second shot of Brosnan's taser  – capable of two shots before being reloaded[19] – over Rolfe's head.[12][20]

According to prosecutors, Brooks and Rolfe were 18 feet (5.5 m) apart[22][lower-alpha 1] when Rolfe dropped his taser, drew his handgun[12] and shot Brooks once in the midback and once in the buttocks;[24] a third shot struck a nearby vehicle, narrowly missing its three occupants.[18][21] According to prosecutors, Rolfe then said "I got him".[17][23]

Two minutes after Brooks was shot Rolfe appeared to unroll a bandage and place it on Brooks's torso. Seven minutes after Brooks was shot an ambulance arrived and he was taken to the hospital, where he died following surgery.[12] Brosnan was treated for a concussion.[25]

The county medical examiner ruled Brooks' death a homicide.[26] The Atlanta Police Department asked the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) to investigate;[27] as of June 17, 2020 that investigation was continuing.[28] The two officers were removed from duty;[29] soon after, Rolfe was fired and Brosnan placed on administrative duty.[8][30]

On June 17 the Fulton County District Attorney announced eleven charges against Rolfe: felony murder, five counts of aggravated assault, four police oath violations, and damage to property.[31] He said Rolfe should have been aware that the taser Brooks had taken posed no danger, as after being fired twice it could not fire again;[32] that Rolfe and Brosnan did not provide timely medical aid to Brooks and that before they did, Rolfe kicked him and Brosnan stood on his shoulders;[32] and that it was a violation of department policy for Rolfe to begin handcuffing Brooks before telling him he was being arrested. (According to one law-enforcement expert, "In many situations, officers should tell someone what is happening because you don't want the person to react in surprise and the officers to take that surprise as resistance.")[19][21] Brosnan was charged with aggravated assault and two counts of violation of oath.[33][34]

A bond hearing for Rolfe scheduled for June 23[35] was postponed because it conflicted with Brooks' funeral and family members have the right to be heard about any potential release.[36] Brosnan was released after posting bond.[37]

Demonstrators gathered at the site of the shooting on June 12 and 13.[38] On June 13, protesters burned down the Wendy's restaurant outside which Brooks was shot, set fire to several nearby cars, and broke a television camera.[39][40][41]

On June 13, Atlanta's police chief Erika Shields resigned; Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance 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."[42][43][44] On June 15, Mayor Bottoms ordered the Atlanta Police Department overhaul its use-of-force policies.[45]

Beginning the day after charges against Rolfe were announced, Atlanta police officers staged a "blue flu" protest, calling in sick for their shifts (see 2020 Atlanta police sickout).[46][47][48]

• Killing of George Floyd
• Shooting of Breonna Taylor
• Shooting of Philando Castile