Bond denied for officer in Brooks shooting
Atlanta police chief Erika Shields resigned shortly after the shooting
ATLANTA — A judge on Friday denied bond for the former Atlanta police officer who has been charged with felony murder and other crimes after fatally shooting Rayshard Brooks in the back after Brooks fired a stun gun in his direction.
Judge Jeffrey Frazier found there is probable cause to detain Garrett Rolfe for the slaying of Rayshard Brooks outside a Wendy’s fast food restaurant in Atlanta, court records show. Rolfe is white. Brooks was Black.
Brooks’ killing rocked a city — and a nation — still reeling after the death of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis last month. Floyd’s death set off nationwide protests that have urged an extensive rethink of policing and an examination of racism in the United States.
Police were called to the Wendy’s on June 12 over complaints of a car blocking the drive-thru lane. An officer found Brooks asleep in the car.
Police body-camera video showed Brooks and officers having a relatively calm and respectful conversation for more than 40 minutes before things rapidly turned violent when officers tried to handcuff him and Brooks resisted. Brooks and the two officers wrestled, and then Brooks grabbed one of their stun guns and fired it in their direction as he ran through the parking lot.
An autopsy found that Brooks was shot twice in the back.
In announcing charges Wednesday, Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard said Brooks was not a deadly threat when he was shot and that Rolfe kicked the wounded man and offered no medical treatment for over two minutes as Brooks lay dying. Another officer, Devin Brosnan, who the district attorney said stood on Brooks’ shoulder as he struggled for his life, was charged with aggravated assault and violation of his oath. Howard also said the officers failed to tell Brooks he was under arrest before trying to put handcuffs on him.
Lawyers for both officers have said their clients’ actions were justified.
Rolfe was fired and Brosnan was placed on desk duty after the shooting. Atlanta police Chief Erika Shields stepped down less than 24 hours after Brooks died.
Atlanta police officers called out sick beginning Wednesday night to protest the filing of murder charges.