Former Atlanta police officer charged with murder of Rayshard Brooks

In the U.S. state of Georgia, prosecutors have charged former Atlanta police officer Garrett Rolfe with 11 counts — including felony murder — for the shooting death of 27-year-old Rayshard Brooks, who was shot twice in the back outside a Wendy’s restaurant on June 12th.

The charges carry a sentence of life in prison, or even the death penalty.  A second officer involved in the killing, Devin Brosnan, will be charged with aggravated assault.  Prosecutors said he has agreed to turn state’s witness and testify against Rolfe, but Brosnan’s lawyer disputes this claim.

Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard has revealed a photo of Rolfe kicking Brooks as he lay bleeding on the pavement, saying both officers failed to give Brooks any medical attention for more than two minutes.

Paul Howard Jr.: “During the two minutes and 12 seconds, that Officer Rolfe actually kicked Mr. Brooks while he laid on the ground, while he was there fighting for his life.  … From the videotape, we were able to see that the other officer, Officer Brosnan, actually stood on Mr. Brooks’s shoulders while he was there struggling for his life.”

The Guardian reports that officer Garrett Rolfe was previously accused of covering up a 2015 shooting along with two other officers.  Rolfe and the other officers reportedly opened fire on a Black man named Jackie Jermaine Harris while chasing him for driving a stolen truck.  The officers hit Harris once, puncturing his lung, but never reported the shooting.

On Wednesday night, a number of Atlanta police officers staged a “sick out” and refused to show up for their usual shifts to protest the criminal charges against the two officers.