Garrett Rolfe, the Atlanta police officer fired after the killing of Rayshard Brooks last week, now faces 11 charges including felony murder, which could potentially lead to the death penalty, a Georgia district attorney announced Wednesday.
A second officer, Devin Brosnan, is facing three charges, including aggravated assault. Brosnan has agreed to testify in the case against Rolfe, Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard Jr. said at a news conference.
Brooks was shot and killed outside a Wendy’s restaurant where he’d apparently fallen asleep in his car in the drive-thru lane. He allegedly failed a field sobriety test — and ultimately was seen wrestling with the officers and running with one of their Tasers leading up to the shooting.
“We’ve concluded, at the time Mr. Brooks was shot, that he did not pose an immediate threat of death or serious physical injury to the officer or officers,” Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard Jr. said at a news conference Wednesday.
The charges against Rolfe included felony murder and aggravated assault, some in connection with a stray bullet that struck a bystander’s occupied vehicle.
Brooks, 27, was seen running across the parking lot with a bright object in his hand, which the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said was the stolen Taser, as an officer chased him, also carrying what appeared to be a Taser.
Howard said investigators had reviewed at least eight videos of the incident, including police body and dashcam images as well as Wendy’s surveillance footage and cellphone recordings taken by witnesses at the scene.
Brooks turned back, extending the object and then the officer in pursuit opened fire with a handgun.
In a statement, lawyers for Rolfe said their client used permissible force under the circumstances.
“Officer Rolfe heard a sound like a gunshot and saw a flash in front of him,” they said. “Fearing for his safety, and the safety of the civilians around him, Officer Rolfe dropped his Taser and fired his service weapon.”
Rolfe, they said, rendered aid, called an ambulance and performed CPR on Brooks.
But Howard, the district attorney, said in the news conference that Brooks did not receive medical attention for over two minutes.
“Officer Rolfe actually kicked Mr. Brooks while he laid on the ground,” Howard alleged. The officers also allegedly stood on his shoulder as he bled on the ground.
The Atlanta Police Department fired Rolfe and reassigned Brosnan following the incident. The city’s police chief also offered her resignation.
(AP)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
12 Responses
This is what happens when gutless corrupt Democrat prosecutors are trying to appease raging mods.
If he’s guilty he’s guilty I have no problem charging him. But this may be a ploy by the da. He probably knows he won’t get convicted for murder. So he overshot it on purpose so he can get an acquittal
Garrett Rolfe ימח שמו is a murderer who assassinated an innocent fellow Rayshard Brooks הי”ד, and he definitely deserves to be fired, and deserves the death penalty. I sincerely wish that he never gets out of prison. His personal assets must be used to pay Wendy’s expenses in rebuilding their burnt down store.
kangaroo court, the cop deserves a medal and a free meal at wendys forever, for doing his job right and getting criminals off the street. his job is to enforce the law, and thats what he did.
@147 overdoing it a bit?
@147 If police officers were a race, you’d be the biggest racist ever. Your ‘innocent fellow’ was driving drunk, grabbed a weapon from a PO, attempted to shoot a LEO with it…; the fact that he was shot in his back is irrelevant, as he himself demonstrated the ability to shoot while his back was turned. I sincerely wish* you get what you so easily wish for others.
To lamdan (ha ha) llc ,
Shtait in possuk (lech lecha)
ואברכך מברכך ומקללך אאר״”
So, it would be a better idea for you to quit your LOMDUS, and thus won’t ח״ו be mekayem the possuk.
This is purely lesheim Shamayim- as a mecho!
I never thought that a yid could possibly say such a thing to another yid, but…
והוא רחום וחפר עון..
@Maivin That’s what the star was added for. Thanx for the source. I’m wondering if he’s Jewish, given that he speaks like a ‘frumer nochri’. But if he is, I do take back that last sentence (which was meant more as a paraphrase of his own words rather than to be taken literally).
Couldn’t recall if ‘oise masseh amcha’ is a qualifier for that pasuk too.
P.S. I sincerely hope you didn’t mean to write ‘v’chofer…’, if CHV”SH yes, you might want to take back your last sentence too 😉
has anyone else heard of this law? Tennessee v. Garner, 471 U.S. 1
Haba Lhargicha Hashkem Lhargo.
MoisheInGolus:
YOU ARE RIGHT!
cops protect us against criminals; when you handcuff cops, you allow the criminals to roam freely…..