Rayshard Brooks killing: White officer who shot black man at drive-thru could be charged with murder
The white police officer who fatally shot Rayshard Brooks could be charged with murder by Wednesday according to the Fulton County district attorney.
Paul Howard told CNN that his office will decide by the middle of the week whether it will be filing charges against Garrett Rolfe, the officer who killed Mr Brooks on Saturday.
“[Brooks] did not seem to present any kind of threat to anyone, and so the fact that it would escalate to his death just seems unreasonable,” Mr Howard said.
“If that shot was fired for some reason other than to save that officer's life or prevent injury to him or others, then that shooting is not justified under the law,” he added.
The DA’s office could decide to charge Mr Rolfe with murder or felony murder.
Mr Rolfe was immediately fired after the incident, and a second officer present at the scene, Devin Brosnan, has been placed on administrative duties while an investigation is carried out. Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields has resigned, having led the force since 2016.
Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said she did not believe Mr Brooks' death was a justified use of deadly force.
“While there may be debate as to whether this was an appropriate use of deadly force, I firmly believe that there is a distinction between what you can do and what you should do,” she said.
The incident began when, according to authorities, Mr Brooks fell asleep in his car in the drive-thru lane of a Wendy’s fast food restaurant on Friday night.
Police said they attempted to arrest him after he failed a sobriety test.
A video of one part of the incident shows a struggle on the ground between two officers and Mr Brooks, during which he manages to break away with one of the officer’s Tasers.
He is then seen running away from the scene, being pursued by the officers. Three gunshots are then heard.
Mr Brooks was taken to a local hospital, where he died after surgery.
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