Two Atlanta police officers were found to have acted reasonably during a 2020 encounter that ended with the shooting death of 27-year-old Rayshard Brooks, a specially-appointed prosecutor said on Tuesday.
The two officers, Garrett Rolfe and Devin Brosnan, will not face charges due to the "dynamic situation" that was "quickly evolving," Pete Skandalakis, executive director of the Prosecuting Attorneys' Council of Georgia said.
"Given the quickly changing circumstances, was it objectively reasonable that he used deadly force? And we conclude it was," Skandalakis said, according to local news.
The shooting took place just three weeks after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, causing racial tensions to increase as Brooks was black and the officers were white.
Skandalakis said that he believes race did not play a role in this instance, saying "this isn't one of those cases. This is a case in which the officers were willing to give Mr. Brooks every benefit of the doubt and, you know, unfortunately, by his actions, this is what happened."
Police responded to an incident in which a man was reportedly sleeping in a car in the drive-thru of a Wendy's restaurant. Body cam footage showed that the officers had a calm conversation with Brooks for around 40 minutes. The officers told Brooks that he had too much to drink to be driving and attempted to arrest Brooks.
The arrest led to a scuffle, wherein Brooks grabbed a taser from one of the officers and fled. He then fired the taser at Rolfe while he ran. Rolfe fired his gun. An autopsy found that Brooks had been shot twice in the back.
Both officers' lawyers said that their actions were justified. Both were released on bond.
Officer Rolfe would be fired the day after the shooting incident, though his dismissal was overturned in 2021 by the Atlanta Civil Service Board after it was found that the city did not follow its procedures for disciplinary action.
Charges were then announced against Rolfe and Brosnan, including a felony murder charge, aggravated assault, and violation of his oath. Brosnan was charged with aggravated assault and violating his oath. Paperwork will be fired to dismiss those warrants, Skandalakis said on Tuesday.
Protestors would later burn down the Wendy's restaurant. An 8-year-old girl was killed during the protests.
Join and support independent free thinkers!
We’re independent and can’t be cancelled. The establishment media is increasingly dedicated to divisive cancel culture, corporate wokeism, and political correctness, all while covering up corruption from the corridors of power. The need for fact-based journalism and thoughtful analysis has never been greater. When you support The Post Millennial, you support freedom of the press at a time when it's under direct attack. Join the ranks of independent, free thinkers by supporting us today for as little as $1.
Remind me next month
To find out what personal data we collect and how we use it, please visit our Privacy Policy
