Over Friday (June 12), the US was rocked by the death of 27-year-old Rayshard Brooks, who was killed after being shot by police officers in Atlanta 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):

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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."

Brooks' death sparked a fresh wave of protests in the city and across the US, with many stating that his killing was an injustice.

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However, 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".

Williams' full interview with CNN can be seen below:

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Speaking to told CNN in an interview last night, 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 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."

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 adds that Brooks died from organ damage and blood loss from the two gunshot wounds, CNN reports.

Over the weekend it was revealed that one APD officer had been fired and another has been reassigned following the shooting.

The fired officer under investigation has been identified as Garrett Rolfe, who had been with the Atlanta Police Department since 2013, WSB-TV of Atlanta reports. The Daily Mail states that Rolfe is the officer that opened fire and fatally shot Brooks.

A police spokesperson has also identified the second officer as Devin Bronsan, who has since been placed on administrative duty. The Associated Press states that Bronsan has been with the department since 2018.

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CNN reports that the Fulton County District Attorney has criticized the officers' handling of Brooks' fatal shooting and said that a decision on whether to bring charges should come around Wednesday.

"[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," DA Paul Howard told CNN's Fredricka Whitfield on Sunday. He added:

"It just seems like this is not the kind of conversation and incident that should have led to someone's death."

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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:

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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.

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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.

A fisherman has found a gun in the area where Dog the Bounty Hunter had been searching for the now-deceased Brian Laundrie.

Per The Tampa Bay Times, Christopher Sacco explained that he had caught something over the weekend in Fort De Soto Park in Florida, that he initially thought was a large fish. However, the catch turned out to be a black revolver in a Publix carrier bag.

The 35-year-old, who was fishing with a friend near a playground at the Florida park, decided to contact the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office to report the firearm.

As confirmed by the Sheriff's Office, deputies responded to a call at Fort De Soto at 11:46 AM local time on Saturday, October 30.

Fort De Soto Park was one of the areas that Dog the Bounty Hunter had been searching for the fugitive, whose skeletal remains were found on October 20 in the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park near the Carlton Reserve.

Taking to Twitter yesterday, WFLA-TV reporter Josh Benson confirmed that the Pinellas County Sheriff's office is now in possession of the weapon.

Benson wrote: "Checked in with the man who found the gun in #FortDeSoto more than a week ago. Says he only took one pic and turned the gun over to Pinellas County authorities. Sheriff's Office tells me they have it in evidence and there's been no update just yet."

The gun was submitted to the Florida Crime Information Center and the National Crime Information Center.

Dog the Bounty Hunter had joined the manhunt for Laundrie on September 27, 10 days after the 23-year-old was reported missing by his family.

The 68-year-old reality star's first port of call was the home of Laundrie's parents, Christopher and Roberta.

Chapman repeatedly knocked on their front door, saying: "I need to ask him where his son is. Is he in there?" However, he never got a chance to speak to the family.

On October 21, dental records showed that the remains discovered by investigators near the Carlton Reserve belonged to Laundrie, who was the only person of interest in the homicide of his fiancée Gabby Petito.

Featured image credit: Instagram / Gabspetito

On Monday, Pasco County deputies responded to a call at a home in New Port Richey, Florida. A man, later identified as 24-year-old Kevin Wilson, was accused of attempting to kidnap a six-month-old baby. According to the sheriff's office, he climbed up to the second-story window of the residence, and tried to gain access inside.

A woman living at the residence then invited the suspect inside. The sheriff's office notes that the woman had a court order stating Wilson should not contact her nor come to her home. After getting into an argument, the suspect reportedly grabbed the baby and ran down the stairs. According to the probable cause affidavit, he said, "You'll never see her again," while squeezing the baby tightly.

The woman's uncle grabbed a firearm, followed the man outside, and confronted him at gunpoint. The woman pleaded for the suspect to let the baby go, and eventually he acquiesced. The man then got into his vehicle and fled the scene.

Law enforcement saturated the area, and several nearby schools were put into a "controlled campus" lockdown." With the help of aviation units and K-9 units, deputies discovered the man ditched his car, and fled into the woods on foot. Sg. Ferguson and his partner, the K-9, Titan, then tracked him down. The dramatic chase was captured on video, and uploaded to the Pasco County Facebook page. (Warning: Some viewers may find this footage distressing.)

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In the incredible police body camera footage, we see the deputy and K-9 follow the suspect's trail. "After tracking through the woods, Sgt. Ferguson and K-9 Titan came upon the individual running through the woods at which point K-9 Titan was deployed and apprehended the individual who was arrested," said the sheriff's office.

After discovering the suspect hiding in the brush, Titan latches onto his arm. "Good boy Titan, you hold him, good boy!'' says the officer, encouraging his partner. Then he orders the suspect to roll onto his stomach, so he can be handcuffed. At first, the man refuses to budge. He remains on his back, screaming in pain. "Roll over or we're not taking the dog off!" repeats the officer. Finally, the suspect complies, and is released from Titan's powerful jaws. "Good boy!' says the deputy. The man is then handcuffed and taken into custody.

Wilson is now facing several charges, including child neglect, interference with custody, and violation of pretrial release. Deputies said the baby girl suffered minor scratches during the harrowing incident, but is otherwise okay. According to the police report, Wilson's no-contact order was put into place because of a domestic battery arrest that occurred last July.

The stunning video has gotten hundreds of views, comments and shares on social media. Some Facebook users argued over whether the dog should have been released earlier or later. But at least the suspect was apprehended safely and justice was served.

A teenager found guilty of fatally shooting a police dog has been sentenced to 25 years in prison this week.

According to a recent report by First Coast News, 19-year-old Jhamel Malik Paskel, who was 17 when he committed the offenses, was sentenced on Wednesday to five years in prison for killing a police dog, and sentenced to a further 20 years behind bars for additional charges, including armed carjacking and kidnapping.

Take a look at this news report on the teen's guilty plea in the video below:

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Per Fox 13 News, the teenager hijacked a car making a pitstop at a gas station. Holding the driver at gunpoint, Paskel ordered the female driver out of her vehicle and made off with it.

He was chased down Interstate 10 by K-9 Officer Matt Herrera, along with the dog, who was shot just before Paskel was apprehended.

According to another report from Fox 13 News, the dog in question was a member of the Jacksonville Sheriff'ss Office's K-9 squad named Fang. Fang was a three-year-old German shepherd who performed both patrol and bomb-detection duties and also patrolled special events and football games.

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Commenting on the incident, Officer Herrera stated in Paskel's trial of the K-9:

"He’s still a member of my family and it wasn’t just sad for me.

 It was my wife, kids and parents.

"To go back and see that empty kennel in the backyard and know that there is no dog there, and to see the bloodstains in the truck that I had to clean up after he was killed."

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Per Fox 13 News, Paskel, whose mother told the court he suffers from drug problems and learning difficulties, pled for leniency from the judge, and apologies to those affected by his crimes.

Paskel stated:

"I would like to offer my apologies and condolences to Officer Herrera for not only the killing of his K-9 partner Fang, but his best friend. I want to apologize to the victims for scaring them that night. And I owe my mother the biggest apology for letting her down.”

Paskel is also legally required to serve 10 years of probation following his incarceration.

While Christmas often brings people together, giving us stories of kindness and humanity at the end of a year that's often full of the opposite - there are some who don't have a good time over the holiday period. For some, it can even be a time where tragedy strikes.

Outside a South Florida shopping mall on Christmas Eve, a shootout took place between police officers and suspects who reportedly wanted for attempted murder and armed robbery. As shoppers hid underneath tables in the Wellington Green Mall, K-9 officer Cigo pursued one suspect, and was shot dead on the scene. Officers then returned fire, wounding the suspect, who is now hospitalised.

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The mall was shut down for several hours for the investigation, and shoppers at the mall were interviewed. One shopper, Carlos Hernandez, was in Macy’s when he heard two shots “loud and clear,” before helping others to hide in a closet. “It was unexpected, especially at the mall,” he told The Post. “It was a little scary for me.”

Police had entered the mall around 5pm on Monday after getting a tip that a member of the Latin Kings gang was present. They secured an area of the parking lot outside the mall and waited for them to exit. The suspect reportedly met up with two others there - one of whom was the suspect in an attempted murder that happened a couple of weeks ago.

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“He turned, shot the dog, the dog was still able make it to him,” Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said of the three-year-old dog. “In the meantime, he’s firing back at the deputies.” The Sheriff's Office shared a message in tribute to the dog, writing that "he's a good boy and will never be forgotten".

They also shared a heartbreaking video of Cigo's handler, who was understandably emotional following the news that the dog had passed away.

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The video, in which he can be seen hugging colleagues who were there to comfort him, caused an influx of messages of condolence online.

"Nothing can help heal your sorrow, except time," one wrote. "I love seeing this kinda brotherhood, but not for this reason." Another added: "As a dog lover and a Law Enforcement supporter I'm watching this with tears streaming down my face. I'm so very sorry."

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"Praying for peace and comfort for #K9Cigo's partner, I can't imagine the pain he is feeling tonight," another commented. "Rest In Peace Cigo you are a #Hero and your wings will be mighty. God Bless."

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The man Cigo was chasing when he was shot has not been identified yet, and is still recovering in hospital. Bradshaw said in a statement:

"He is not deceased yet. He is pretty well wounded. The dog is deceased, but he did his job. Saved those deputies' lives. We got two very dangerous people off the street. Unfortunately it took the life of one of our dogs.”

Rest in Peace, Cigo.