Rayshard Brooks’ Death Was A Homicide, Coroner Rules

TOPLINE

The death of 27-year-old black man Rayshard Brooks, who was shot in the back by a white police officer in Atlanta on Friday, was ruled a homicide on Sunday by the coroner.

KEY FACTS

Key background

Brooks’ was fatally shot on Friday in the car park of a Wendy’s drive-thru in Atlanta just after 10:30pm on Friday, as officers were called to complaints about a man falling asleep in his parked car while in line, causing other cars to drive around it. Bodycam footage shows his encounter with police was not confrontational at first, but later descended into a struggle as police tried to detain him. He died in hospital following surgery. His death reignited demonstrations against police brutality and racism in the city, with some demonstrators setting alight the Wendy’s restaurant on Saturday night and dozens of people arrested.

News peg

Brooks’ shooting occurred in the midst of ongoing Black Lives Matter protests following the death of unarmed black man George Floyd in Minneapolis after white police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes on May 25. Protesters are calling for sweeping police reform and reduced funding to departments, while Floyd’s death has sparked protests around the world condemning discrimination against African-Americans and calls for reckoning over racism closer to home.

Further reading

Atlanta Police Officer Fired And Wendy’s Set Ablaze After Fatal Shooting Of Rayshard Brooks (Forbes)

Atlanta Police Chief Resigns After Black Man Fatally Shot By Officer At Wendy’s Drive-Thru (Forbes)