Former Atlanta Officer Faces Felony Murder Charges for Death of Rayshard Brooks

The former Atlanta officer who killed Rayshard Brooks has been charged. Last Friday, police responded to the scene of a Wendy’s where a man was reportedly sleeping in his car in the drive-thru. The initial interaction was calm. However after failing a breathalyzer test, 27-year-old Brooks began resisting arrest. There was an altercation during which Brooks got ahold of a taser and ran away. When he turned back around to aim the taser at the officers, he was shot twice in the back. His death sparked even more outrage by protesters and the Atlanta police chief resigned shortly after. Ex-officer Garrett Rolfe has now been charged with felony murder, five counts of aggravated assault, four counts of violation of oath of office and one count of criminal damage to property. The other officer involved also faces two counts of violation of oath of office. Following the charges, an unusual amount of police officers called out sick for the late night shift. Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms recognized the situation but said “we expect that our officers will keep their commitment to our communities.”