Atlanta police call in sick in protest
Atlanta police officers called in sick to protest the filing of murder charges against an officer who shot a man in the back, while the interim chief acknowledged members of the force feel abandoned amid protests demanding massive changes to policing. Interim Chief Rodney Bryant said in an interview that the sick calls began Thursday and continued yesterday, but said the department had sufficient staff to protect the city. It’s not clear how many officers called in sick. ‘‘Some are angry. Some are fearful. Some are confused on what we do in this space. Some may feel abandoned,’’ Bryant said of the officers. ‘‘But we are there to assure them that we will continue to move forward and get through this.’’ Prosecutors brought felony murder and other charges against Garrett Rolfe, a white officer who shot Rayshard Brooks after the 27-year-old black man grabbed a Taser during a struggle and ran, firing it at the officer, Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard said. Four months before Brooks was killed, Reconnect, a company that focuses on fighting incarceration and addiction, interviewed him about the year he spent in jail. He said the criminal justice system treats the people incarcerated within like ‘‘animals.’’ ‘‘We do have lives, you know, we’re just a mistake we made.’’ Howard said Brooks was not a deadly threat at the time and that Rolfe kicked the wounded man and offered no medical treatment for over two minutes as Brooks lay dying.