Trump Defends Atlanta Officer Who Shot Rayshard Brooks As Officers Fail To Turn Up To Work

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June 18, 2020

TOPLINE

President Trump voiced concern for the treatment of the officer who shot 27-year-old Black man Rayshard Brooks last Friday, claiming police have not been treated “fairly”, as a higher than usual number of Atlanta police officers failed to turn up to their shift on Wednesday night following news of criminal charges.

FILE – This screen grab taken from body camera video provided by the Atlanta Police Department shows … [+] Rayshard Brooks speaking with Officer Garrett Rolfe, left, in the parking lot of a Wendy’s restaurant, late Friday, June 12, 2020, in Atlanta. Rolfe, who fatally shot Rayshard Brooks in the back after the fleeing man pointed a stun gun in his direction, was charged with felony murder and 10 other charges, announced Wednesday, June 17, 2020. Rolfe was fired after the shooting. (Atlanta Police Department via AP)

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KEY FACTS

Garret Rolfe, the officer who shot Brooks in the car park of a Wendy’s last Friday, faces 11 charges, including one of felony murder.

A second officer, Devin Bronsan, was charged on Wednesday with aggravated assault and faces two other charges.

Atlanta Police Department tweeted on Wednesday night that a “higher than usual” number of officers called out sick and failed to show up for their shift.

The department added that reports that officers had walked off the job were inaccurate.

A union representing Atlanta police officers, the International Brotherhood of Police Officers, called the charges politically motivated.

Trump, reacting to the charges, said in a Fox News interview on Wednesday that the situation was “out of control”, adding: “It’s going to be up to justice. I hope he gets a fair shake. Because police have not been treated fairly in our country. But again, you can’t resist a police officer like that.”

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms told CNN that morale was down ten-fold among officers, but that she expected them to keep their commitment to the community “that they made when they held up their hand and they were sworn in as police officers.”

Additional info

District Attorney Paul Howard said on Wednesday that Brooks, 27, never displayed “aggressive behavior” towards officers or presented as a threat, and previously suggested the shooting was “not justified”. Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields resigned following the incident. Brooks’ death reignited protests in Atlanta the following night, where some protesters burnt down the Wendy’s restaurant, while dozens were arrested after blocking traffic on a major highway nearby.

Key background

Rolfe was fired and Bronsan was placed on administrative leave following the shooting last Friday. Video footage shows the officers questioning Brooks after he was found sleeping in a parked car at the Wendy’s drive-thru. The 42-minute exchange, which began without confrontation, escalated into a struggle between Brooks and the officers as they tried to detain him. CCTV shows Brooks appeared to grab one of the officers’ Tasers and run away with it. He turned around as he ran and appeared to point it at chasing officers, before Rolfe shot him twice in the back. Books’ death came nearly three weeks after the death of unarmed Black man George Floyd in police custody, which sparked nationwide and global protests against racism, and calls for police reform.

Trump Defends Atlanta Officer Who Shot Rayshard Brooks As Officers Fail To Turn Up To Work

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