Atlanta police call in sick to protest

Atlanta police officers called in sick or refused to answer calls yesterday to protest the filing of murder charges against an officer who shot a man in the back, while the interim chief said members of the force feel abandoned amid protests demanding massive changes to policing.

Interim Chief Rodney Bryant said the department has sufficient staff to protect the city.

It’s not clear how many officers have called out.

“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 and ran, Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard said.

Howard said that Brooks was not a deadly threat at the time and that the officer kicked the wounded black man and offered no medical treatment for more than two minutes as he 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.

Rolfe and Brosnan turned themselves in on Thursday.

Less than 24 hours after the shooting, police chief Erika Shields resigned, and Bryant took over on an interim basis.

Bryant said he was surprised at how quickly Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard reached the decision to charge the officers, noting that the Georgia Bureau of Investigation hadn’t yet had time to finish looking into the shooting.