This archive report was first published on 14 June 2020.
On June 12, 2020, the Atlanta Police Department announced that an officer had been fired over the fatal shooting of Rayshard Brooks, 27, at a Wendy's restaurant in South Atlanta.
The officer, Garrett Rolfe, who had worked with the department since 2013, fired his handgun three times while chasing Mr. Brooks, who had seized a Taser from an officer and fired it as he ran.
According to eyewitness videos and security camera footage, the events unfolded as follows:
At 10:33 p.m. on June 12, 2020, police officers were called to Wendy's restaurant at 125 University Ave. in South Atlanta after Mr. Brooks fell asleep in his vehicle, causing other customers to drive around him.
Officer Brosnan was already at the scene when Officer Rolfe arrived in an S.U.V. at 10:54 p.m. They performed a sobriety test on Mr. Brooks, which he failed, and the officers attempted to take him into custody.
Less than a minute later, Mr. Brooks was shot. Video footage shows Mr. Brooks grappling with the officers on the ground, seizing a Taser from Officer Brosnan, and punching Officer Rolfe before running away.
Officer Rolfe gave chase, firing his Taser gun three times, but Mr. Brooks continued to run. The security camera footage shows Officer Rolfe passing his Taser to his left hand and reaching for his handgun while chasing Mr. Brooks.
While being chased, Mr. Brooks looked behind him, pointed the Taser in Officer Rolfe's direction, and fired it. The flash of the Taser suggests that Mr. Brooks did not fire it with any real accuracy.
Officer Rolfe then drew his handgun and fired it three times at Mr. Brooks as he was running away. Mr. Brooks fell to the ground.
For the next minute, Officer Rolfe and Officer Brosnan stood over Mr. Brooks, who was injured but moving on the ground, and occasionally reached down to him. Neither officer appeared to provide medical assistance to Mr. Brooks.
Another police car arrived at the scene, and Officer Rolfe ran back to his S.U.V. to call for help over his radio. Bystanders denounced the shooting to a third police officer who was at the scene.
Officer Rolfe and Officer Brosnan eventually began to provide medical treatment, with Officer Rolfe appearing to unroll a bandage and place it on Mr. Brooks's torso.
At 11:30 p.m., an ambulance arrived, and eight minutes later, Mr. Brooks was taken to a hospital, where he died after surgery.
