Slain Ga. man’s family makes plea for police reform
ATLANTA — Pleading through tears Monday, the family of a black man shot dead by Atlanta police outside a drive-thru demanded changes in the criminal justice system and called on protesters to refrain from violence amid heightened tensions across the U.S. three weeks after George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis.
An autopsy released Monday found 27-year-old Rayshard Brooks was shot twice in the back late Friday by a white officer trying to arrest him at a fast-food restaurant for being intoxicated behind the wheel of his car. Mr. Brooks tried to flee after wrestling with officers and grabbing a Taser from one of them.
“Not only are we hurt, we are angry,” said Chassidy Evans, Mr. Brooks’ niece. “When does it stop? We’re not only pleading for justice. We’re pleading for change.”
About 20 of Mr. Brooks’ children, siblings, cousins and other family members sobbed at a news conference as more than 1,000 people gathered not far away at an NAACP-led protest outside the Georgia Capitol.
Floyd’s death May 25 after a white Minneapolis officer put his knee on the black man’s neck touched off demonstrations and scattered violence across the U.S., and Mr. Brooks’ killing rekindled those protests in Atlanta. The Wendy’s restaurant where Mr. Brooks was killed was burned down over the weekend.
Ms. Evans said there was no reason for her uncle “to be shot and killed like trash in the street for falling asleep in a drive-thru.”
“Rayshard has a family who loves him who would have gladly come and got him so he would be here with us today,” she said.
Relatives described Mr. Brooks as a loving father of three daughters and a stepson who loved to dance and had a bright smile and a big heart. His oldest daughter learned her father was slain while celebrating her 8th birthday with cupcakes and friends, wearing a special dress as she waited for Brooks to take her skating, said Justin Miller, an attorney for the family.
“There’s no justice that can ever make me feel happy about what’s been done,” said Tomika Miller, Mr. Brooks’ widow. “I can never get my husband back . ... I can never tell my daughter he’s coming to take you skating or for swimming lessons.”
She asked those demonstrating in the streets to “keep the protesting peaceful,” saying: “We want to keep his name positive and great.”