Wendy's Restaurant Gutted by Fire on Night After Police Shoot Man Dead in Parking Lot

A Wendy’s in Atlanta, Georgia, was gutted by fire after a protest late on June 13 into the early morning hours of June 14, a night after police fatally shot a black man in the restaurant’s parking lot.

Protesters had gathered in Atlanta on that date to call for an end to police brutality in memory of Kendrick Johnson and 27-year-old Rayshard Brooks, who was shot by police the previous night.

Police said Brooks had resisted an arrest for DUI just after 10:30 pm on June 12 and had taken an officer’s taser before fleeing. Video captured the encounter at the Atlanta fast-food restaurant.

The Atlanta Police Department (APD) requested that the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) carry out an investigation into the incident. The GBI said the APD had responded “to a complaint of a male in a vehicle parked in the drive thru asleep,” blocking other cars.

A protest that began as a call for justice over the 2013 death of Kendrick Johnson evolved into a protest for Brooks. These videos show the Wendy’s outlet where Brooks was shot with some fires still burning inside the building following large blazes in and outside the restaurant.

Later footage shows police and a gathered crowd facing off in the street, with chants of “you about to lose your job” heard in the background.

The Georgia NAACP called for the immediate resignation of Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields following the shooting. Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced Shields’ resignation hours later, saying the police chief would be reassigned to another role. The officer who fatally shot Brooks was fired on June 13 and a second officer placed on administrative duty. Credit: Julieta Martinelli via Storyful