No charges against Atlanta officers in fatal shooting of Rayshard Brooks – The Atlanta Journal Constitution

A special prosecutor dropped murder and assault charges against two Atlanta police officers after determining that they acted reasonably in shooting Rayshard Brooks, who was fighting with them when they tried to arrest him for driving under the influence.

Rayshard Brook’s death came less than three weeks after the fatal shooting of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis, which has spurred protests nationwide against police brutality and racial injustice.

The District Attorney announced charges against Rolfe and Brosnan five days after Brook’s shooting. The state Attorney General appointed Scandalakis to lead the probe, and on Tuesday, he presented videos from the incident and explained why the shooting was legitimate.

Skandalakis said he does not think the shooting was racially motivated, and that the officers were prepared to give every advantage of the doubt to Brooks.

The attorneys for Garrett Rolfe and Bill Thomas said their client was relieved that the charges against him were dismissed, and that he would be exonerated of his actions on June 12, 2020.

Gerald Griggs, president of the NAACP of Georgia, said that a grand jury should try the case instead of two ex-law enforcement officers.

Brook’s estate attorneys, Justin Miller and L. Chris Stewart did acknowledge Brosnan’s struggle with the police was a mistake, and that use of force would have been justified.

In May 2021, the Atlanta Police Department said that the civil service board had found that Rolfe had been improperly fired and reinstated him, and that the department had revised its Standard Operating Procedures and enhanced its training in how to de-escalate confrontations.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said that on the day of Brooks shooting, officers responded to a Wendys after reports that a man was sleeping in his car in a drive-through lane. One officer shot and killed Brooks twice after Brooks grabbed a Taser.

The legality of the shooting hinges on the Taser’s potential deadly power. Amnesty International says that over 500 people have died as a result of being shocked by Tasers.

Brooks was under the influence of alcohol and a variety of drugs when he was arrested, and a crime lab test showed that he had a blood alcohol content of.102, which is higher than the legal limit in Georgia.

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