The fired Atlanta police officer who fatally shot 27-year-old Rayshard Brooks on Friday (June 12) has been charged with felony murder, a prosecutor confirmed on Wednesday.
Brooks was killed after being shot by an APD officer while attempting to flee an arrest.
Per an official press release from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, APD officers Garrett Rolfe and Devin Bronsan were responding to a complaint that Brooks has fallen asleep in his vehicle in a Wendy's drive-thru, "causing other customers to drive around the vehicle."
It is then reported that after Brooks failed a field sobriety test, the officers "attempted to place the male subject into custody". However, Brooks resisted and attempted to flee. A struggle between the three individuals then ensued.
Bodycam footage of Brooks' arrest can be seen below (Warning - some people will find the video distressing):The GBI states that, during the struggle, "Brooks obtained one of the officer's Tasers and began to flee from the scene.
"Officers pursued Brooks on foot and during the chase, Brooks turned and pointed the Taser at the officer. The officer fired his weapon, striking Brooks."
Per The Guardian, Brooks was 18ft 3" away when Rolfe opened fire.
Over the weekend, 27-year-old Garrett Rolfe - who unloaded the fatal shots - was fired from the Atlanta Police Department over the incident. Per WSB-TV of Atlanta, Rolfe had worked in the department since 2013.
On Sunday, an autopsy listed Brooks' cause of death as gunshot wounds to the back and the manner of death has been listed as homicide.
The report added that Brooks died from organ damage and blood loss from the two gunshot wounds, CNN reports.
The Guardian also reports that the Rolfe kicked Brooks when he was on the ground and offered no medical treatment as he lay dying.
In total, Rolfe is facing 11 charges, after prosecutors announced that Brooks posed no threat when he was gunned down. If he is convicted of murder, Rolfe could face life in prison or the death penalty.
Rolfe's charges were announced by District Attorney Paul Howard, who announced at the eagerly-awaited press conference:
"We have concluded at the time Mr Brooks was shot that he did not pose an immediate threat of death or serious physical injury to the officer or officers."
Of Rolfe's 11 charges, six relate specifically to his interactions with Brooks. Per CNN, they are listed as follows:
- Aggravated assault with a deadly weapon linked to Brooks' death. The offense carries a possible sentence of 1 to 20 years.
- Aggravated assault for kicking Brooks. Rolfe was wearing a shoe "which, when used offensively against a person, is likely to or actually does result in serious bodily injury," an arrest warrant said. The offense carries a sentence of 1 to 20 years.
- Four counts of violation of oath by a public officer - a felony offense under Georgia law. Each offense carries a sentence of 1 to 5 years.
Rolfe's additional charges are linked to the third missed shot he fired at Brooks, of which the bullet hit an occupied vehicle in the Wendy's parking lot. They are as follows:
- Three aggravated assault charges related to the three people who were inside the vehicle.
- One count of criminal damage of property in the first degree for damaging the vehicle "in a manner so as to endanger human life by shooting it with a handgun".
The other officer at the scene, Devin Bronsan, has been reassigned following the shooting.
Bronsan, 26, is also facing several charges against him for his actions during the incident.
Prosecutors have said that Bronsan - who has been with the department since 2018 - is facing an aggravated assault charge for standing or stepping on Brooks' shoulder while he was lying on the ground, which carries a sentence of 1 to 20 years.
Brosnan was also charged with two violations of oath of office, prosecutors said.
DA Howard announced that Bronsan violated the police department policy when he stood on Brooks after the victim was shot, stating that it was an "unauthorized weaponless control technique which the city of Atlanta prohibits."
The other violation is in regard to failing to render timely medical aid to Brooks.
Following the charges, Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said that morale within the police department had been "down ten-fold".
In an interview with CNN on Wednesday night, Bottoms said: "We expect our officers will keep their commitment to our communities" amid reports that officers had been calling in sick
Despite the charges, Burke County Sheriff Alfonzo Williams - who has taught thousands of police officers about the use of force over his career spanning decades in Georgia - has spoken out about the incident, calling it a "justified shooting".
Speaking to told CNN in an interview on Tuesday, Williams broke down the footage from the shooting, saying:
"We saw in the video that Brooks is engaged in a fight with the officers
"They were on the ground and we know that when we’re on the ground we have a very high likelihood of being hurt or killed. This is not the place we want to be. This is not a wrestling match.
"Brooks is able to take a nonlethal weapon, a Taser, away from one of the officers, and he flees.
"They give chase. He’s committed two felonies to obstruction of an officer counts and he needs to be held accountable. So they were perfectly justified in running behind Brooks to capture him. Brooks turned back to the officers and fired the Taser."
Williams' full interview with CNN can be seen below:Williams then explained the effects a taser has on the body, and stated that he believes the shooting was "justified". He added:
"If an officer is hit with that Taser, all of his muscles will be locked up, and he’ll have the inability to move and to respond, and yet he is still responsible for every weapon on his belt.
"If that officer is hit he still has the firearm on his side and the likelihood of him being stomped in the head or having his firearm taken was a probability and he did what he needed to do.
"This was a completely justified shooting."
The County Sheriff then added that he is disappointed that officer Garrett Rolfe was fired and not supported by the community, and said that his "political" firing sends the wrong message to "black youths".
Williams said: "It’s political. It’s senseless and we’re sending the wrong message to our black youth.
"We’re telling them that it’s OK to run from the police, take a weapon from the police, they can fight with the police, they can point a weapon at police and expect nothing to happen."
Brooks' death has resulted in fresh outbreaks of protests and violence in the Atlanta area.
On Saturday night, the Wendy's restaurant where the shooting took place was torched by protesters.
Footage of the engulfed Wendy's can be seen below:Rayshard Brooks' sister-in-law, Crystal Brooks, was one of those gathered outside the Wendy's restaurant on Saturday night. She told local news crews:
"He wasn’t causing anyone any harm. The police went up to the car and even though the car was parked they pulled him out of the car and started tussling with him."
Per Fox News, L. Chris Stewart, the attorney for Brooks' family, has said that the officer who shot the 27-year-old should be charged for "an unjustified use of deadly force, which equals murder". Stewart added:
"You can’t have it both ways in law enforcement. You can’t say a Taser is a nonlethal weapon [...] but when an African American grabs it and runs with it, now it’s some kind of deadly, lethal weapon that calls for you to unload on somebody."
On Saturday, Atlanta police chief Erika Shields handed in her resignation as a result of the incident, BBC News reports.
Sheild's resignation was announced by Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms.
Bottoms said in a statement:
"Because of her desire that Atlanta be a model of what meaningful reform should look like across this country, Chief Shields has offered to immediately step aside as police chief so that the city may move forward with urgency and rebuilding the trust so desperately needed throughout our communities."
Shields was appointed the Atlanta police chief in December of 2016. Prior to this, she had served a long career in the force.
Interim Corrections Chief Rodney Bryant will be serving as interim police chief until a permanent replacement is appointed.
