Black Lives Matter: Cop to be sacked over death of Breonna Taylor as Trump warns Tulsa rally protesters against violence
US court rules Trump’s mass indoor rally can go ahead without masks or social distancing as a white cop is sacked in the wake of the tragic shooting death of a black woman in a botched drug raid.
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A court in the US has ruled President Donald Trump’s indoor “comeback rally” can go ahead without attendees having to wear masks or observe social distancing.
The Oklahoma Supreme Court rejected a bid to require everyone inside the arena at President Trump’s campaign rally in Tulsa Saturday US time to maintain social distancing of at least two metres and wear a face mask — clearing the way for the rally to proceed.
“It is not the duty of this Court to fashion rules or regulations where none exist,” the court wrote in a unanimous decision.
Wearing masks in public is common practice now in the US - but Mr Trump has refused to wear one and his supporters also prefer not to wear them.
The news came after a white cop in Kentucky was sacked over the shooting death of black medical technician Breonna Taylor in her home during a botched drug raid by police.
In Oklahoma, the court said the petitioners did not establish that they have a “clear legal right” to the relief requested, wrote Chief Justice Noma D. Gurich, who was first appointed by a Republican governor but reappointed by a Democrat.
The justices also cited a lack of any mandatory language in the state’s reopening plan, which provides social distancing guidelines for entertainment venues but does not require them.
In a Facebook post Tuesday, Tulsa’s GOP mayor confessed to feeling anxious about the potential spread of the coronavirus by people attending the rally.
“As someone who is cautious by nature, I don’t like to be the first to try anything. I would have loved some other city to have proven the safety of such an event already,” Mayor G.T. Bynum wrote.
The city’s health director, Dr Bruce Dart, has said he would like to see the rally postponed, noting that large indoor gatherings are partially to blame for the recent spread of the virus in Tulsa and Tulsa County.
Oklahoma has seen a recent spike in coronavirus cases, setting a daily high on of 450.
WHITE COP SACKED OVER BLACK DEATH DURING BOTCHED RAID
A US policeman involved in the fatal shooting of black medical technician Breonna Taylor during a disastrous “no-knock” home raid is being fired, officials said.
Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said the police department is moving to sack Officer Brett Hankison, who was one of three white cops who fired into the 26-year-old EMT’s apartment during the botched operation.
The city has been criticised for taking three months to take any action.
“Unfortunately, due to a provision in state law that I would very much like to see changed, both the chief and I are precluded from talking about what brought us to this moment or even the timing of this decision,” Mayor Fischer said.
The news came as US President Donald Trump threatened to “get tough” with any violent protesters at his so-called comeback rally in Tulsa Oklahoma Saturday US time.
“‘Any protesters, anarchists, agitators, looters or lowlifes who are going to Oklahoma please understand, you will not be treated like you have been in New York, Seattle, or Minneapolis. It will be a much different scene!,” President Trump wrote on Twitter.
His tweet came on Juneteenth, the date that celebrates the end of slavery - which New York has declared will now be an annual holiday.
Any protesters, anarchists, agitators, looters or lowlifes who are going to Oklahoma please understand, you will not be treated like you have been in New York, Seattle, or Minneapolis. It will be a much different scene!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 19, 2020
The president’s vow came as Tulsa’s mayor declared a “civil emergency”.
Meanwhile, Kentucky’s Attorney-General Daniel Cameron, a black Republican, said his office is still weighing whether to bring charges against the officers involved in the death of Breonna Taylor.
“I can assure you that we understand the urgency, we understand the public outcry and we understand the need for the truth and the desire for justice,” Mr Cameron said, expressing his condolences to Taylor’s family, saying he’s “heartbroken” by their loss.
Mayor Fischer said interim Louisville police Chief Robert Schroeder has started termination proceedings against Hankison. Two other officers remain on administrative reassignment while the shooting is investigated.
The New York Times said Louisville police officers used a battering ram to crash into Taylor’s apartment shortly after midnight. After a brief confrontation, they fired several shots, striking her at least eight times.
Police were investigating two men who they believed were selling drugs out of a house that was far from Ms Taylor’s home. But a judge had also signed a warrant allowing the police to search the residence because the police said they believed that one of the two men had used her apartment to receive packages.
The judge’s order was a so-called no-knock warrant, which allowed the police to enter without warning or without identifying themselves as law enforcement.
The Louisville police say that they only fired inside her home after they were first fired upon by Kenneth Walker, Ms Taylor’s boyfriend, who was in bed with her. They said that Mr Walker wounded one of the officers, who was hit in a leg but was expected to make a full recovery.
The police also assert that, despite having a no-knock warrant, they knocked several times and identified themselves as police officers with a warrant before entering the apartment. The police said that the officers then “forced entry into the exterior door and were immediately met with gunfire”.
The officer who was wounded, and two others, then returned fire, the police said. The three officers have been placed on administrative reassignment.
No drugs were found at the home.
Protesters in Louisville and across the country have demanded justice for Taylor and other African-Americans killed by police in recent weeks.
TRUMP COMEBACK RALLY TO GO AHEAD DESPITE COVID CONCERNS
The president’s vow to clamp down on violent protesters came as Tulsa’s mayor declared a “civil emergency”.
Mayor G T Bynum, a Republican, cited recent “civil unrest” and the expectation that more than 100,000 people - a combination of Trump supporters and protesters - will swarm the downtown area as the reason for his “civil emergency” declaration.
The rally at one point was facing cancellation after the hosting venue reportedly asked for a written coronavirus safety plan.
The request from the BOK Center, a 19,000-seat arena where the rally is due to be held on Saturday US time, came days after Tulsa County saw its two highest single-day increases in COVID cases since the outbreak began.
The county logged 89 new cases of the virus on Monday and 96 new cases on Tuesday.
The Daily Beast reports that the state of Oklahoma logged 8,904 cases of the virus as of Thursday.
The BOK Centre’s request asks for the Trump campaign to outline “the steps the event will institute for health and safety, including those related to social distancing.”
A statement from the Centre said Mr Trump’s campaign has agreed to temperature-check attendees and provide everyone with a mask and hand sanitiser when they enter the building - and the venue is urging everyone to keep their masks on, and follow other safety procedures, throughout the rally.
Mr Trump’s planned rally has sparked controversy over the past few weeks.
Aside from the fact that it was originally planned for Juneteenth (June 19) - a day commemorating the end of slavery in the United States - and had to be rescheduled, the rally is being touted as the largest indoor gathering in the US since the coronavirus led to lockdowns and cancelled events across the world.
The White House spokesman Kayleigh McEnany told the Washington press pack she would not wear a mask at the rally - which was in line with medical advice recommending, but not ordering the wearing of masks at such gatherings.
Bruce Dart, Tulsa’s top health official, said he was worried that the event could become a “super spreader” that leads to a large number of new cases and deaths in the area.
TWITTER LABELS TWEET ‘MANIPULATED MEDIA’
Twitter has slapped another label on a tweet by President Donald Trump, this time warning a shared video had been doctored and escalating the social media company’s crackdown on one of its most widely followed users.
After Mr Trump tweeted the video, Twitter took the rare step of adding a warning that it was “manipulated media” and linked to a page which said multiple journalists confirmed the clip was edited to make it look like a CNN broadcast.
The video remains visible in Trump’s timeline.
The doctored clip used footage from a video which went viral last year of two toddlers, one black, one white, which CNN used for a story it did on the boys’ friendship.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 19, 2020
The video Trump shared begins with footage of the boys running set to ominous music, with a fake misspelled CNN caption reading, “Terrified toddler runs from racist baby”.
It cuts to other footage from the original video of the boys excitedly running to each other and hugging, which formed the basis of the original CNN story, before showing the message, “America is not the problem. Fake news is”.
It’s the latest salvo in the battle between Mr Trump and tech companies, which he has accused of silencing conservative voices.
Mr Trump lashed out at Twitter last month after it added fact-check warnings to two of his tweets on mail-in voting, and vowed to add new regulations to rein in social media companies.
Twitter in March used the “manipulated media” warning to mark a video of presidential challenger Joe Biden shared by Trump.
US POLICING CRISIS BREWS OVER ‘ANTI-COP’ BACKLASH
The US is on the brink of a policing crisis as cops in two of the biggest forces in the nation threaten to walk off the job in response to the “de-fund cops” movement and anger over severe charges against officers.
Possible strike action is brewing in New York where NYPD officers are being encouraged to call in sick on Independence Day July 4, while cops have been calling in sick in large numbers in Atlanta.
Cops say they want the city to get a taste of what it’s like to have a New York free of police as retribution for left-wing calls to “de-fund” and even “dismantle” police departments in the wake of black deaths in custody including George Floyd and Rayshard Brooks.
One text message to police calls for the strike to kick off at 3pm on July 4.
“NYPD cops will strike on July 4th to let the city have their independence without cops,” said the message, which is being passed among cops via text.
The so-called “Taylor Law” makes it illegal - punishable by jail - for cops to go on strike. But police responded: “The people and this city doesn’t (sic) honour us why honour them.(sic)”
It’s unclear whether or not the messages are being written by other police officers, according to the New York Post.
Another message seen by police officers reads #Bluflu and instructs cops to call out sick on Independence Day.
The same sense of anger is brewing among cops in Atlanta where two officers have been charged over the death of Rayshard Brooks.
City leaders were forced to reassure citizens that there were still enough police on duty to handle emergencies after large numbers of cops called in sick the day after one of their former colleagues was charged with murder and told he faced the death penalty.
Atlanta Police Department tweeted it had more officers calling in sick than normal but that it
had “enough resources to maintain operations & remain able to respond to incidents.”
“The Atlanta Police Department is able to respond effectively to 911 calls. Please don’t hesitate to call if you have an emergency,” the department said.
Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who has issued orders calling for reforms in policing, also insisted that the department would be able to operate effectively despite the high number of “sickies” and said that many of the department’s partner agencies had been notified in case they needed to call in others.
Ex-cop Garrett Rolfe has been charged with murder and faces the death penalty. District Attorney Paul Howard claimed Wednesday that Rolfe’s former partner Devin Brosnan - who has been charged with assault over the death - had agreed to testify against Rolfe.
Brosnan’s lawyer denied this yesterday and said his client had suffered a severe concussion during the incident.
Rolfe’s lawyers said he feared for his and others’ safety and was justified in shooting Brooks. Rolfe opened fire after hearing a sound “like a gunshot and saw a flash in front of him,” apparently from the Taser.
“Mr. Brooks violently attacked two officers and disarmed one of them. When Mr. Brooks turned and pointed an object at Officer Rolfe, any officer would have reasonably believed that he intended to disarm, disable or seriously injure him,” the lawyers said in a statement.
ATLANTA COP WILL NOT TESTIFY AGAINST FORMER COLLEAGUE: LAWYER
A lawyer for one of the ex-Atlanta cops charged over the death of black man Rayshard Brooks has denied his client will testify against his former colleague - who’s facing the death penalty for murder.
Prosecutor District Attorney Paul Howard claimed Devin Brosnan, 26, who faces aggravated assault charges in Brooks’ shooting death last week, was co-operating with prosecutors and would testify against ex-cop Garrett Rolfe.
But after Brosnan turned himself in to police yesterday, his lawyer said he had not agreed to testify against his former partner Rolfe.
Rolfe faces felony murder charges and the death penalty for firing two shots into Brooks’ back outside a Wendy’s fast-food restaurant. The tragedy occurred after Brooks had been chatting peacefully for 40 minutes with the cops after they found him asleep in a car in a fast food joint carpark.
The tragedy unfolded when the cops tried to handcuff Brooks to prevent him from driving under the influence of alcohol. Brooks objected and grabbed a taser and ran before he was shot in the back.
The two officers have also been charged over allegedly standing on the man as he lay dying on the pavement.
Prosecutors will recommend that Brosnan’s bail be set at $A80,000 when he is arraigned on the charges, Mr Howard said.
He said his office will ask that Rolfe be held without bail. He has until Friday AEST to surrender.
SIMPLE NOTE HELPS UNITE AMERICANS AFTER RACE RIOTS
A simple handwritten note of appreciation from two black women to a white cop in America’s south has brought a ray of hope to a nation torn apart in recent weeks by racial tensions.
The white cop, Jody McDowell, stopped at a fast food joint called Cracker Barrel outside Nashville. When he went to pay for his meal, the waiter told him two black ladies had left him a note.
“BLM (black lives matter). But so does yours! Thank-you for your service, breakfast paid,” the note read. The women had not even spoken to the officer, who was so touched he thanked them on social media.
Officer McDowell shared it on Facebook, saying: “I want to thank the two sweet black ladies who paid for my breakfast this morning.
“While waiting for a transport to be completed, I decided to have breakfast at a Cracker Barrel near the Nashville airport. I received this note from them.”
Hundreds of people left comments praising the gesture, which comes after furious protests at the deaths of George Floyd, Rayshard Brooks and other black men, and demands to “defund” police forces.
Susanne Germain said: “Finally there is hope.
“This country is losing their minds yet two black women saw a way to do something positive during so much turmoil in our country.
“I wish I could give these ladies a big hug!”
Arista Powers said: “Faith in humanity restored! I needed this positive story so badly.
“Your life DOES matter and thank you for keeping us safe.
“God bless you and these wonderful women. This made my whole week.”
‘OFFICER KAREN’ SAYS PEOPLE MISSED POINT OF TEARFUL VIDEO
The Georgia officer whose tearful video about her late McDonald’s order went viral has come forward — saying many people “lost the whole point” of her sharing the saga.
Stacy Talbert, a sheriff’s deputy in McIntosh County, said she filmed herself on Facebook Live to describe the current frustrations of law enforcement to others, NBC News reported.
“Everybody lost the whole point of the video,” Talbert told the outlet. “I’m just so sick of people being mean.”
In the video, Talbert became emotional as she recounted the long wait she faced picking up a mobile order for a McMuffin, hashbrowns and coffee at a McDonald’s in Richmond Hill, just outside Savannah.
“I hadn’t eaten in a while so I was kind of hungry,” said the teary-eyed cop in the video circulated on Twitter. “So I’m still waiting and I’m still waiting.”
“I said, ‘Don’t bother with the food because right now I’m too nervous to take it’,” the cop said.
“It doesn’t matter how many hours I’ve been up. It doesn’t matter what I’ve done for anyone. Right now I’m too nervous to take a meal from McDonald’s because I can’t see it being made.”
While some online were supportive, others slammed officer Talbert for complaining and dubbed her “Officer Karen,” employing the nickname that has become shorthand for white women who make a fuss about innocuous incidents.
But she told NBC that she’s taken new monikers — which also included “Molly McMuffin” — in stride, saying they’re “actually kind of funny.”
Talbert said the video had nothing to do with her tardy McMuffin order — but rather the public lacking trust in law enforcement.
“It’s not that people are waiting in the wings to hurt us,” she told NBC. “It’s that people don’t trust us.”
BORIS IN CAR CRASH AS PROTESTER CHARGES
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was in a car crash after a protester ran in front of his vehicle as it left parliament.
Footage posted on social media showed a man running towards the silver Jaguar as it drove out of the gates of parliament accompanied by a police motorcycle rider and a Range Rover support vehicle.
Mr Johnson’s car had to brake suddenly and was hit from behind by the Range Rover, sustaining a large dent.
The incident came before prosecutors in the US outlined charges against cops in Atlanta in the shocking death of black man Rayshard Brooks, caught on video.
In the UK, the PM’s car paused for a moment before the motorcade moved on. The prime minister’s office confirmed Mr Johnson was in the car and said there were no reports of any injuries.
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said Mr Johnson was “wholly unscathed.”
The protester, who was knocked to the ground in the incident, was detained by police. The Metropolitan Police said he was arrested on suspicion of public order offences and for “obstructing the highway.”
Several groups were protesting outside parliament in small numbers, including anti-Brexit and pro-Kurdish groups. Mr Johnson was returning to his office at 10 Downing St from his weekly question-and-answer session when the crash happened.
ELDERLY MAN’S SKULL FRACTURED IN COP’S VIOLENT PROTEST PUSH
An elderly protester hospitalised in the US after being shoved by police has suffered a fractured skull, his lawyer says.
Kelly Zarcone said her client, Martin Gugino, 75, has not yet been able to walk after the incident in Buffalo on June 4. He remains in hospital, she said.
Two officers have since been charged with second-degree assault after a widely shared video captured Gugino being pushed and falling to the ground.
In the video his head can be seen bleeding as officers continued to walk past him.
Ms Zarcone said in an email on Tuesday there was no change in his condition. She expects only gradual improvement.
The officers, who could face prison sentences of up to seven years if convicted, have pleaded not guilty.
The video is one of several to emerge in recent weeks showing police brutality against Black Lives Matters protesters in the wake of George Floyd’s death.
The Buffalo-area retiree has been described by friends as a veteran peace activist driven by his Catholic faith and a desire for social justice.
President Donald Trump soon after claimed on Twitter, without evidence, the elderly protester “could be an ANTIFA provocateur” involved in a possible set-up.
The president’s tweet has been widely criticised and the accusations were dismissed by Zarcone as “utterly baseless and ridiculous.”
TRUMP’S USHERING IN NEW ERA OF ‘SAFETY AND SECURITY’ FOR US VOW
US President Donald Trump has made a historic speech outlining new federal guidelines for policing and declaring there will be “a new future of safety and security for Americans of every race, religion, colour, and creed”.
He signed a presidential executive order which will create a system for tracking police misconduct, ban most chokeholds, incentivise officer training and send social workers on some nonviolent police calls.
“Thank you all for being here as we take historic action to deliver a future of safety and security for Americans of every race, religion, colour, and decreed,” Mr Trump said.
He met with the families of people killed in confrontations with police or vigilantes, including Ahmaud Arbery.
“I want you to know that all Americans mourned by your side, your loved ones will not have died in vain. We are one nation. We grieve together, and we heal together,” Mr Trump said.
“I can never imagine your pain or the depth of your anguish but I can promise to fight for justice for all of our people and I gave a commitment to all of those families today with Senator Tim Scott and Attorney-General Bill Barr. We are going to pursue what we said we will be pursuing it and we will be pursuing it strongly.
“Standards will be as high and as strong as there is on Earth.”
He praised police officers and shook his head at the widespread calls to cut back on resources for law enforcement – or outright get rid of police departments.
“We have to give them great respect for what they do,” Mr Trump said.
The president noted 89 police officers were killed in 2019.
He said Washington was “ready, willing and able to help” thwart unrest in US cities.
“Americans want law and order. They demand law and order,” Mr Trump said.
“They may not say it, they may not be talking about it, but that’s what they want. Some of them don’t know that is what they want but that is what they want.”
The president, however, said “chokeholds would be banned, unless an officer’s life is at risk.”
Mr Trump also criticised the performance of former President Obama and former Vice President Joe Biden for not enacting reforms.
“President Obama and Vice President Biden never even tried to fix this during their eight-year period. The reason they didn’t try is because they had no idea how to do it,” he said.
“I think you’re going to see some things that a lot of people thought would not happen – you wouldn’t be able to get them done, but we’ll get them done.
“We can get it done and will get it done. And certainly we can add on to what we do by the work that’s being done in the House and the Senate if we think it’s appropriate. Maybe they can get something passed and maybe they can’t.”
BLM PROTESTER MURDERED, STAR VOWS TO PAY FOR BROOKS’ FUNERAL
A Black Lives Matter protester was among two women found dead after being reported missing for days.
Oluwatoyin “Toyin” Salau, 19, was last seen on June 6 in Tallahassee, Florida, local media report.
The same day she disappeared, the teenager left a trail of tweets detailing a sexual assault which had allegedly taken place days earlier.
Anyways I was molested in Tallahassee, Florida by a black man this morning at 5:30 on Richview and Park Ave. The man offered to give me a ride to find someplace to sleep and recollect my belongings from a church I refuged to a couple days back to escape unjust living conditions.
— Oluwatoyin (@virgingrltoyin) June 6, 2020
On Sunday, AARP Florida, a non-profit group for older Americans, confirmed the death of one of its long-time Tallahassee volunteers, 75-year-old Vicki Sims.
According to Tallahassee Police Department, she had been missing since June 11.
Police found the women dead on Saturday night off Monday Road, Tallahassee
A 49-year-old man identified as Aaron Glee Jr has been taken into custody.
He lives in a dilapidated house on Monday Road.
Numerous questions still surround both deaths, including why and how they were killed. Police also have not said exactly when and where they were murdered.
TRUMP JR DELETES ‘POISON’ COP TWEET
Reports three New York police officers were “poisoned” after drinking milkshakes at famous fast food outlet Shake Shack have been debunked by authorities.
The officers were said to have discovered a toxic substance placed in their beverages at the Shake Shack in Manhattan.
The NYC Police Benevolent Association then made a claim the officers may have been poisoned with bleach.
The NYPD launched an investigation after the officers fell ill – and has dismissed the claim, saying that there was no criminality by Shake Shack employees.
After a thorough investigation by the NYPD’s Manhattan South investigators, it has been determined that there was no criminality by shake shack’s employees.
— Chief Rodney Harrison (@NYPDDetectives) June 16, 2020
Investigators say a cleaning solution was not fully cleared from the milkshake machine, which is how it may have got into the drinks.
“After a thorough investigation by the NYPD’s Manhattan South investigators, it has been determined that there was no criminality by shake shack’s employees,” NYPD Chief of Detectives Rodney Harrison said.
Earlier, Donald Trump Jr tweeted, “Where are the Democrats who are denouncing NYPD officers getting poisoned on the job? Their silence is deafening.”
Mr Trump later deleted the tweet.
STAR VOWS TO PAY FOR BROOKS’ FUNERAL
Hollywood film mogul Tyler Perry will pay for Rayshard Brooks’ funeral, a lawyer for the slain man’s family revealed.
“We do want to acknowledge and thank Tyler Perry, who we spoke with (and) who will be taking care of the funeral for the family,” lawyer Chris Stewart said during a press conference on Monday local time, in the wake of Brooks’ shooting death by an Atlanta policeman.
“It’s support like that and it’s people who are actually in this community that love the community that want healing and families like this to never have to go through something like this, to step forward. And we want to thank him for such a generous move,” Mr Stewart said.
Perry has recently been in the news for offering refuge to Prince Harry and Meghan at his Hollywood mansion.
Brooks, 27, was killed on Friday after a scuffle with police outside of a fast food restaurant in Atlanta.
It comes as US President Donald Trump said he found the footage of the death of Brooks by a police officer in Atlanta “very disturbing.”
“I thought it was a terrible situation,” Mr Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday local time.
Mr Trump said he would not compare the death of Brooks to the death of George Floyd and that he had studied the events over the weekend in Atlanta “closely.”
“I’m going to get some reports done today,” he said of the Brooks case.
Mr Trump added he would “have a little more to say about it tomorrow.”
He is expected to unveil a policing-related executive order on Tuesday (local time) as well.
Video of the shooting shows Brooks speaking amicably with police officers Garrett Rolfe and Devin Brosnan while taking a field sobriety test.
But when the police moved to handcuff him, Brooks gets into a scuffle with the officers and flees – and is shot twice in the back by Rolfe.
Rolfe, 27, was fired the following day and could face a murder charge, prosecutors said on Sunday.
Perry, best known for his Madea franchise, is known for his charitable acts and contributions.
Word of his offer to pay for Brooks’ funeral came during a tearful press conference with the slain man’s widow, Tomika Miller, his children, and several cousins.
MURDER OF BROOKS RULED HOMICIDE
It comes as authorities have ruled the fatal police shooting of Brooks a homicide.
Brooks, 27, died after he was shot twice in the back on Friday, local time, the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office said in a statement.
An autopsy concluded that Brooks died from blood loss and damage to internal organs after being shot twice in the back, the Fulton County medical examiner’s office said in a press release.
The killing of the 27-year-old as he tried to flee after wrestling with officers and grabbing a Taser has rekindled protests in Atlanta that erupted in the wake of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis.
The Wendy’s restaurant where Brooks was shot was burned down over the weekend.
A demonstration took place on Monday (local time) outside the Georgia Capitol in Atlanta, where Republican leaders returning to work in the legislature after a prolonged coronavirus shutdown pushed back against swift consideration of a slate of changes Democrats want in policing and criminal justice.
Officer Garrett Rolfe, who fired the fatal shots, has been fired, and the other officer at the scene, Devin Brosnan, has been placed on administrative duty.
Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shield resigned a day after the shooting.
Fulton County District lawyer Paul Howard said he hopes to decide by midweek whether to charge either of the officers.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation was placed in charge of the investigation.
Brooks was shot after police were called amid complaints that a car was blocking the drive-through lane.
An officer found Brooks asleep in the car, had him move it to a parking space and began a sobriety check.
Video from the two officers’ body cameras and dash-mounted cameras on their cruisers showed Brooks co-operating for more than 40 minutes, telling them he had a couple of drinks while celebrating his daughter’s birthday and consenting to a breath test.
The video shows Brooks’ alcohol level at 0.108 per cent – higher than the legal limit in Georgia. When one of the officers takes Brooks’ left wrist and moves to handcuff him, Brooks tries to run and the officers take him to the ground.
As Brooks fights to stand, Brosnan presses a Taser to his leg and threatens to stun him. Brooks grabs the Taser and pulls it away. He struggles to his feet, the Taser in his hand, and starts running.
Rolfe fires his taser, and a yelp can be heard above the weapon’s electric crackle.
Rolfe runs after Brooks, and seconds later three gunshots are heard.
Both officers’ body cameras were knocked to the ground in the struggle, and none of the four police cameras captured the shooting.
Footage released from a Wendy’s security camera showed Brooks turn and point an object at one of the officers, who was steps behind him.
The officer draws his gun and fires.
“As I pursued him, he turned and started firing the taser at me,” Rolfe told a supervisor after the shooting in a videotaped conversation.
“He definitely did shoot it at me at least once.”
The Brooks family’s lawyer noted on US TV on Monday (local time) that Brooks was shot from a distance, carrying what the officers knew to be a nonlethal weapon, and couldn’t have gotten away, since they had his driver’s license.
“They could have easily waited and caught him later or let or let him be blocked in by the officer who was responding. It was just unnecessary,” L. Chris Stewart said.
BRITISH COURT JAILS MAN WHO URINATED ON POLICE MEMORIAL
A British court has jailed for two weeks a football fan who urinated next to a terror attack memorial during clashes between far-right protesters and the London police.
Andrew Banks, 28, pleaded guilty to one count of outraging public decency for urinating by the side of a plaque dedicated to Keith Palmer, a police officer killed in the 2017 Westminster Bridge attack outside parliament.
The incident, first captured on social media, came during clashes involving self-styled “patriots” backed by far-right groups who had gathered Saturday to counter anti-racism protesters in central London and “protect” public statues.
Prosecutor Michael Mallon said Banks, a Tottenham Hotspur supporter, showed up after drinking 16 pints of beer from Friday night into Saturday morning and going without sleep.
Judge Emma Arthbuthnot, sitting at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, told the defendant the incident had caused “public revulsion”.
“The irony is rather than protecting the monuments you almost urinated on one. That was more by luck than judgment,” she added.
“You showed no respect at the time for a man killed while protecting the Houses of Parliament.”
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The image of him urinating created an uproar and drew condemnation from members of parliament, including one who tried to save the officer’s life by giving first aid.
Banks contacted the police after being recognised and confronted by his father, the court was told.
He was “ashamed of his actions”, his lawyer Stuart Harris said. While off duty and unarmed, Palmer died while stopping a knife-wilding assailant from entering parliament during the attack, when an assailant drove a car into pedestrians on the pavement.
Khalid Masood, a British Muslim convert, killed Palmer and four pedestrians, and injured around 50 people. The attack ended when police shot the 52-year-old dead
Originally published as Black Lives Matter: Cop to be sacked over death of Breonna Taylor as Trump warns Tulsa rally protesters against violence