Atlanta man killed by police was shot in his back: Autopsy
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Atlanta man killed by police was shot in his back: Autopsy

 Atlanta, June 15

An post-mortem discovered that the black man killed in a scuffle with Atlanta police outdoors a fast-food drive-thru was shot twice within the again, the medical expert’s workplace mentioned.

The killing of 27-year-old Rayshard Brooks as he tried to flee after wrestling with officers and grabbing a Taser has rekindled protests in Atlanta that erupted within the wake of George Floyd’s dying in Minneapolis. The Wendy’s restaurant the place Brooks was shot was burned down over the weekend.

The NAACP deliberate an indication Monday outdoors the Georgia Capitol in Atlanta, the place Republican leaders returning to work within the legislature after a protracted coronavirus shutdown pushed again in opposition to swift consideration of a slate of adjustments Democrats need in policing and legal justice.

An post-mortem Sunday concluded that Brooks died from blood loss and injury to inner organs after being shot twice within the again, the Fulton County medical expert’s workplace mentioned in a information launch.

Officer Garrett Rolfe, who fired the deadly pictures, has been fired, and the opposite officer on the scene, Devin Brosnan, has been positioned on administrative responsibility. Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shield resigned a day after the capturing.

Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard mentioned he hopes to determine by midweek whether or not to cost both of the officers. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation was positioned in command of the investigation.

Brooks was shot late Friday after police have been known as amid complaints {that a} automotive was blocking the drive-thru lane. An officer discovered Brooks asleep within the automotive, had him transfer it to a parking area and started a sobriety verify.

Video from the 2 officers’ physique cameras and dash-mounted cameras on their cruisers confirmed Brooks cooperating for greater than 40 minutes, telling them he had had a few drinks whereas celebrating his daughter’s birthday and consenting to a breath test.

The video exhibits Brooks’ alcohol degree at 0.108 p.c — greater than the authorized restrict in Georgia. When one of many officers takes Brooks’ left wrist and strikes to handcuff him, Brooks tries to run and the officers take him to the bottom.

As Brooks fights to face, Brosnan presses a Taser to his leg and threatens to stun him. Brooks grabs the Taser and pulls it away. He struggles to his toes, the Taser in his hand, and begins working.

Rolfe fires his Taser, and a yelp might be heard above the weapon’s electrical crackle. Rolfe runs after Brooks, and seconds later three gunshots are heard.

Both officers’ physique cameras have been knocked to the bottom within the battle, and not one of the 4 police cameras captured the capturing. Footage launched from a Wendy’s safety digital camera confirmed Brooks flip and level an object at one of many officers, who was steps behind him. The officer attracts his gun and fires.

“As I pursued him, he turned and started firing the Taser at me,” Rolfe informed a supervisor after the capturing in a videotaped dialog.

“He definitely did shoot it at me at least once.” The Brooks household’s lawyer famous on NBC’s “Today” present on Monday that Brooks was shot from a distance, carrying what the officers knew to be a non-lethal weapon, and couldn’t have gotten away, since that they had his driver’s license.

“They could have easily waited and caught him later or let or let him be blocked in by the officer who was responding. It was just unnecessary,” L. Chris Stewart mentioned.

Democratic lawmakers, who within the minority in each the House and the Senate, mentioned they’re able to act on legal justice reforms.

Among the proposals: creating stiffer sentences for hate crimes, abolishing the state’s citizen’s arrest legislation, ending no-knock warrants and letting individuals sue law enforcement officials for misconduct.

“For the General Assembly to turn a deaf ear to the cries that are occurring all over Georgia and throughout the country would be a tragic missed opportunity and a dereliction of responsibility,” House Minority Leader Bob Trammell mentioned.

But Republican leaders and even some Democrats mentioned there’s not sufficient time to make an entire slate of adjustments, with solely 11 working days left in a session disrupted by the COVID-19 outbreak. AP

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