A fatal police shooting in Atlanta, Georgia has been declared a homicide. Rayshard Brooks was found sleeping in his car in a Wendy’s drive-through, and the police were called to address the situation. Brooks was administered a field sobriety test, which he failed. A video of the arrest shows the arresting officer, Garret Rolfe, getting into a struggle with Brooks. At one point, Brooks can be seen trying to get Rolfe’s taser from his belt.
Brooks then attempts to flee. It appears as though he levels the stun gun at Rolfe, before the officer shoots Brooks in the back. Brooks died from the gunshot wounds.
On Sunday, the Fulton County medical examiner declared the shooting a homicide. The Atlanta police force fired Rolfe, and he could face murder charges.
Protests against police injustice have been raging since Memorial Day, when Minneapolis police killed George Floyd during an arrest. The shooting death of Rayshard Brooks has further intensified these protests.
On Saturday night, someone set the Wendy’s restaurant that Brooks died near on fire. Throngs of protesters prevented the fire department from approaching the building for over an hour.
Authorities are offering a reward for anyone with information as to who started the fire. Protesters think they are unlikely to receive any information.
The restaurant has been the site of numerous peaceful protests in the days since Brooks’ death, as well. Brooks’ family has noted that he was finally getting his life together, and was excited to celebrate his daughter’s birthday the following day.
Tamika Miller, Brooks’ widow, has expressed dismay at what happened to her husband. “I want them to go to jail,” Miller told reporters of the officers involved in the shooting. “If it was my husband who shot them, he would be in jail. He would be doing a life sentence. They need to be put away.”
The killing comes at the height of widespread civil unrest over excessive use of police force. In particular, police use of extreme force with black people has been the target of recent protests. The movement, called “Black Lives Matter,” is not new, but it has intensified in recent weeks.
As some cities view their police department as a grim form of pest controls, protesters call for police reform. Notably, polling shows the protesters now have the support of a majority of Americans for the first time since Black Lives Matter started organizing.
