Investigators in Georgia are looking into what led Atlanta police to allegedly fatally shoot Rayshard Brooks.
On Saturday afternoon, protesters turned an Atlanta Wendy’s into what they call “ground zero,” where a black man was allegedly shot and killed by police late Friday night, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Investigators in Georgia are looking into what led Atlanta police to allegedly fatally shoot Rayshard Brooks.
The Associated Press is reporting that officers were called to a Wendy’s location after they received complaints that a man was asleep in the drive-thru, and other cars had to navigate around his vehicle.
Brooks, 27, reportedly failed a field sobriety test. According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigations, when police tried to arrest him, he resisted. That began a struggle between the two parties, and an officer went for a taser, according to the GBI.
The GBI said on Twitter it was aware of the videos of the incident are making their rounds on social media. One allegedly shows Brooks breaking free after a struggle with the officer, then running away. One officer goes after him with the taser, before they both run out of the camera’s frame.
A press release from the GBI describes what happened next.
“Witnesses report that during the struggle the male subject grabbed and was in possession of the Taser. It has also been reported that the male subject was shot by an officer in the struggle over the Taser.”
Brooks was taken to a local hospital, where he died after surgery, according to the GBI.
Two officers have been identified in connection with Brooks' death. Garrett Rolfe, also 27, has been terminated according to a press release from the Atlanta Police Department. He joined the department in October, 2013. Officer Devin Bronsan has been placed on administrative leave. He joined the force in September of 2018.
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has announced that the city's Police Chief Erika Shields decided to step down as a result of Brooks' shooting. Bottoms said Shields will stay with the city in an undetermined role. Rodney Bryant will serve as Atlanta's police chief in the interim.
Once the investigation is complete, the case will be turned over to the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office.
Inside Edition Digital has reached out to Wendy’s for comment, but has not yet received a response.
This latest incident comes in the middle of nearly three weeks of peaceful protests around the world—including in Atlanta— in response to the police-involved killing of George Floyd, calling for equality for black Americans and an end to police brutality.
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