Atlanta Police Kill Another Black Man, Rayshard Brooks, in Wendy’s Parking Lot

Posted on by Tiffanie Lanelle

Update 6/13/20 6:00 PM EST:

You can view a special report below from Black News Alerts and continue reading for copies of released statements and footage.

  • Multiple statements from city officials have been released regarding the death of Rayshard Brooks.
    • Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has accepted the resignation of Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields and called for the immediate termination of the officer who shot and killed Brooks.

  • The termination has been called for by many officials and protesters of the officer who shot Brooks while the other officer involved has been placed on administrative duty.
  • Rodney Bryant will serve as the interim police chief as a nationwide search begins for new leadership.
  • We have also found a previous video of Brooks uploaded just weeks ago as he discusses policing and criminal justice practices and reforms.

Original Story published 6/13/20 12:20 PM EST:

Another officer-involved shooting occurred overnight in Atlanta, Georgia resulting in the death of Rayshard Brooks.

What We Know:

  • Rayshard Brooks, 27, is said to have allegedly fallen asleep in a Wendy’s drive-thru on University Avenue in Atlanta prompting the police to be contacted.
  • Police arrived on the scene and, at this point, the stories from eyewitnesses and authorities diverge:
    • The authorities state a sobriety test was conducted and Brooks failed the test.  They attempted to detain Brooks and a struggle over a taser ensued resulting in one of the officers to shoot him.  This resulted in Brooks being taken to the hospital and dying after surgery while an officer was also taken to the hospital, treated for injuries and then released.
    • Video and eyewitnesses stories allege the officers spoke with Brooks for about 20 minutes, he was not combative until the taser was pulled on him. He was then shot three times in the back as he was running away from the officers.  It is also believed he died at the scene and the ambulance taking him was “performative” in nature.
  • Video of the aftermath includes an account stating Brooks was in the passenger seat of the car that his wife was driving and witnesses are unclear why the interaction occurred at all if this is the case.
  • The GBI is currently investigating the incident and will then hand off the case to the Fulton County District Attorney’s office for review. This is the 48th officer-involved shooting the GBI has investigated this year.
  • The two officers involved in the shooting have not yet been identified yet.
  • Atlanta PD has recently been under fire for the handling of protests and the assault of two Atlanta college students.

We will continue to update this story as it develops.

WARNING: Shots can be heard in the below tweet. Please be mindful of this before watching.

https://twitter.com/theangiestanton/status/1271800612489965568

*Correction: In the original publishing of this article the officers were stated to have been removed from duty.  This has been corrected in the update posted at 6:30 PM EST.

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