The Atlanta police officer who shot and killed Rayshard Brooks had several complaints against him prior to the incident.
What We Know:
- The APD fired Garrett Rolfe and placed Devin Brosnan on administrative duty after their involvement in Rayshard Brooks’ death. Rolfe and Brosnan responded to a call about Brooks being asleep at a Wendy’s drive-thru. Brooks initially cooperated with a sobriety test, however, an altercation ensued over a taser and the officers shot Brooks in the back while running away. The incident was recorded on body and surveillance cameras. The Fulton County Medical Examiners Office ruled the death a homicide.
- APD records show that Garrett Rolfe had citizen complaints dating back to 2015 and the department took no action to address them. The records also contained a 2016 use-of-force complaint against Rolfe, where he received a written reprimand the following year. Rolfe’s disciplinary file includes five vehicle accidents, four citizen complaints, and three firearms incidents. Officer Brosnan has no disciplinary history.
- L. Chris Stewart, an attorney for the Brooks family, said “I guarantee you this officer has had issues in the past…You know who causes issues or who has had prior issues or who has had complaints. A lot of them don’t get justified and then they stay on the force…So, it wasn’t a surprise.”
- Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard has said he will make the decision to bring charges against the officers by midweek. He said the charges could range from voluntary manslaughter to murder. He has also stated that after viewing the video, he believes the incident should not have turned fatal.
- Rayshard Brooks’ death comes three weeks after Minneapolis police killed George Floyd. Protests after Floyd’s death were still ongoing in Atlanta at the time of Brooks’ death. The incident ignited more protests with even larger crowds.
On Monday, hundreds of protesters marched to the state Capitol to protest police brutality, and people had turned the burned down Wendy’s where Brooks was killed into a memorial by Tuesday.
