Police officer who shot and killed man at fast food outlet could be charged midweek
The Atlanta police officer who shot and killed Rayshard Brooks after he snatched and pointed a taser at officers could be charged over the incident by midweek. WARNING: Graphic content
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The police officer who shot and killed Atlanta man Rayshard Brooks after having an amiable chat could be charged by midweek, the Fulton County district attorney says.
Paul Howard confirmed his office would be speaking with two other witnesses to the incident before making the decision on filing charges against the officer, Garrett Rolfe.
The district attorney’s office also said in a statement it was “experiencing some difficulty in obtaining all of the body cam and dashcam footage from the Atlanta Police Department”.
Brooks, 27, was shot outside a fast food restaurant on Friday night after resisting arrest and pointing a Taser at police.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said Brooks had snatched the Taser from an officer.
“[Brooks] did not seem to present any kind of threat to anyone, and so the fact that it would escalate to his death just seems unreasonable,” Mr Howard told broadcaster CNN, adding the district attorney’s office could decide to charge Rolfe with murder or felony murder.
“If that shot was fired for some reason other than to save that officer’s life or prevent injury to him or others, then that shooting is not justified under the law.”
The shooting reignited protests against police brutality and racism in Atlanta, which were sparked by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody last month.
Mr Howard’s comments come as bodycam footage of Brooks chatting with police about his daughter’s birthday just seconds before he was gunned down after stealing a taser has emerged.
In the vision, Brooks can be seen slurring his words as he spoke to lead officer Rolfe and his colleague, Devin Brosnan, outside a Wendy’s restaurant – one later torched in protests over the deadly police arrest, according to the New York Post.
“I just had a few drinks, that’s it … It was my daughter’s birthday,” Brooks told Rolfe, adding that he had been “intent to have a good time”.
“I can walk home. I just don’t want to be in violation of anything,” he told them in the calm, friendly-sounding exchange, hoping to avoid a drunk-driving arrest.
“I don’t wanna refuse anything.”
The interaction only turned when the officers went to cuff Brooks – who immediately struggled and tried to flee, the footage makes clear.
“Drop the taser! Stop fighting!” the officers shouted at Brooks, who was seen in other footage appearing to fire the Taser as he tried to run away.
A series of gunshots then rang out – with a short pause before onlookers immediately expressed outrage at the deadly shooting of a black man by white cops.
“You murderer! What the f – k!” one man could be heard shouting amid unintelligible screaming and shouting.
“You f – ing shoot him? That’s totally unnecessary,” someone shouted at the officers, while another man said, “Man, that’s messed up.”
Rolfe – a seven-year veteran of the force – was fired and Brosnan, who joined in September 2018, was put on administrative leave, officials confirmed late Saturday.
It followed calls from Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who had insisted the shooting was not a “justified use of deadly force.”
The officers’ boss, Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields, also resigned over the fatal incident, citing a “deep and abiding love for this City and this department.”
It comes as Brooks’ family alleges that the police officers collected their shell casings rather than giving first aid to Rayshard – and waited more than two minutes before even checking his pulse, a lawyer for Brooks’ family claims.
Witnesses said that “the officers went and put on plastic gloves and picked up their shell casings after they killed him – before rendering aid,” attorney L. Chris Stewart said at a press conference on Saturday, a day after Brooks was shot dead trying to avoid a drunk-driving arrest.
“They appear to be caring more about covering their tracks than providing aid”.
WENDY’S SET ON FIRE BY PROTESTERS
Protesters set fire to the Atlanta Wendy’s where Brooks was shot and killed by police. They also shut down an interstate highway, the New York Post reports.
Crowds of several hundred had gathered outside the fast-food restaurant all day Saturday, but began breaking windows of the establishment after sunset, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
The fire started inside at around 9.30pm, according to the paper.
As smoke billowed from the restaurant, some protest organisers encouraged demonstrators to go home, but police moved in to make arrests, the outlet reported.
Brooks was fatally shot by an Atlanta police officer during a struggle after he failed a sobriety test in the Wendy’s parking lot.
The confrontation was filmed by observers and captured by surveillance cameras. Authorities said Brooks had taken an officer’s taser during the scuffle and had attempted to flee.
It came as Atlanta’s police chief has resigned hours after police shot dead a black man who was reported for sleeping in his car at a Wendy’s drive-through.
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced the resignation of Police Chief Erika Shields as roughly 150 protesters marched outside the Wendy’s restaurant where 27-year-old Rayshard Brooks was fatally shot late Friday. The mayor also said she called for the immediate firing of the officer who opened fire at Brooks.
She said it was Shields’ own decision to step aside as police chief and that she would remain with the city in an undetermined role. Interim Corrections Chief Rodney Bryant would serve as interim police chief until a permanent replacement is found.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation, which is investigating the shooting, said the deadly confrontation started with officers responding to a complaint that a man was sleeping in a car blocking the restaurant’s drive-through lane.
LONDON PROTESTER ‘ARRESTED’
A British man who urinated near a memorial to a police officer killed in a terrorist attack has been arrested, as violent protests hit UK streets again this weekend.
The 28-year-old from Essex, an hour east of London, was picked up on Sunday night Australian time for his “appalling” act.
Thousands turned out early on Sunday Australian time, with far-right protesters campaigning to protect statues, including one of Winston Churchill, clashing with Black Lives Matter activists.
Police were caught in the crossfire with riot cops attacked with bottles and other missiles as they tried to keep the two groups separate in Trafalgar Square, Hyde Park and near the UK parliament.
A video showed a protester kicking a police officer in the chest, while mounted police were attacked with bottles that scared their horses.
More than 100 people were arrested during a day of violence, that also spilt into Waterloo station, which had been closed to avoid mass gatherings.
An image of the 28-year-old man dressed in a white T-shirt urinating next to the plaque in memory of PC Keith Palmer who was stabbed to death in the Westminster terror attack in 2017 sparked outrage.
Home Secretary Priti Patel labelled the thug’s actions as “appalling and shameful.”
That is simply unacceptable and the individuals that are basically putting the safety of our police officers and the safety of the public at risk will expect to face the full force of the law,” she said.
“We have seen some shameful scenes today, including the desecration of PC Keith Palmer’s memorial in parliament, in Westminster Square, and quite frankly that is shameful, that is absolutely appalling and shameful.”
The protests happened despite the UK having the highest coronavirus death toll in Europe, with fears that the mass gatherings may spark a second wave of the deadly illness.
The protests happened despite the UK having the highest coronavirus death toll in Europe, with fears that the mass gatherings may spark a second wave.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson was livid at the protesters.
“Racist thuggery has no place on our streets. Anyone attacking the police will be met with full force of the law,” he said on Twitter.
“These marches & protests have been subverted by violence and breach current guidelines. Racism has no part in the UK and we must work together to make that a reality.”
British TV host Piers Morgan said the urinating man was “beyond contempt”, while Tobias Ellwood, an MP who tried to resuscitate PC Palmer in 2017 demand he step forward, apologise and be arrested.
A Black Lives Matter demonstrator broke the trend when he helped an injured far-right protester, in a dramatic photograph captured by Reuters.
There were also protests in Bristol, where a toppling of a statue of slave trader Edward Colston last week sparked fears for Churchill’s statue in London which was graffitied twice.
The Churchill statue was boarded up this week for its protection, which prompted the far-right group’s protest this weekend.
Imarn Ayton, 29, a figurehead of the movement who has given speeches alongside Star Wars actor John Boyega, has called for Churchill’s statue to be removed but urged protesters to stay away today to avoid a “race war”.
She told the BBC: “I do I believe these statues should be moved to a museum I think it’s a win for everyone. It no longer offends the black nation, but we get to keep our history and keep those that would like to see that.
“Any statue of people who has spoken negatively towards black people is going to be offensive. Any man.”
She pleaded with protesters to stay away today for fear of violent clashes with far-right demonstrators.
She said: “I think everyone is very worried about any type of race war that could occur because that takes away from what we’re trying to achieve, which is abolishing institutional racism.”
TRUMP MOVES RALLY AFTER BACKLASH
US President Donald Mr Trump has changed the date of his planned Tulsa, Oklahoma, rally out of “respect” for Juneteenth, he tweeted.
The campaign rally, originally scheduled for the US holiday on Friday, June 19, will now be held on Saturday, June 20, reports the New York Post.
The original date fell “on the Juneteenth Holiday,” Mr Trump wrote in a series of tweets. “Many of my African-American friends and supporters have reached out to suggest that we consider changing the date out of respect for this Holiday, and in observance of this important occasion and all that it represents.”
Juneteenth marks the day when news that Abraham Lincoln had signed the Emancipation Proclamation reached Texas, the last state where slaves learned of their freedom.
Word of the rally had angered Democrats because it promised large crowds during the coronavirus pandemic and was planned for Juneteenth, even as Mr Trump described George Floyd protesters across the country as “thugs,” “anarchists” and “domestic terrorists.”
The location of the rally also bothers opponents.
We had previously scheduled our #MAGA Rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for June 19th – a big deal. Unfortunately, however, this would fall on the Juneteenth Holiday. Many of my African American friends and supporters have reached out to suggest that we consider changing the date out...
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 13, 2020
Tulsa in 1921 was the site where mobs of white rioters attacked black residents and their homes and businesses in a historic section of the city known as “Black Wall Street.” Hundreds of residents were killed and thousands more left homeless.
The president said his campaign has registered upwards of 200,000 ticket requests for the event, his first rally since the coronavirus pandemic. Supporters attending the event must first sign a disclaimer bearing all responsibility if they catch COVID-19.
Last month, Mr Trump told the New York Post that he viewed his rallies as critical to his campaign, saying he would be at a “big disadvantage” if COVID-19 prevented rallies before Election Day in November.
“I hope we’re going to be able to get the rallies back before the election. I actually think it’s very important,” Mr Trump said.
On Saturday (local time), Mr Trump also spoke to graduates of top US military school West Point, where he appeared to allude to global protests over the death of George Floyd.
“What has made America unique is the durability of its institutions against the passions and prejudices of the moment. When times are turbulent, when the road is rough, what matters most is that which is permanent, timeless, enduring and eternal.”
DEPUTY PM WARNS PROTESTERS
Meanwhile, federal politicians are keeping the pressure on people to heed the advice of medical experts and not attend another series of protests across the country this weekend, fearing it could spark a second wave of the coronavirus.
Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy has repeatedly urged people not to take to the streets after thousands turned out across the country last weekend for Black Lives Matter rallies, saying such events “really are dangerous”.
Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack agrees.
“These people who want to go into protest, they ought to think long and hard about their actions,” he said in Tumut, NSW, where he was on the Eden-Monaro by- election campaign trail with his Nationals candidate Trevor Hicks on Saturday.
“The courts say no. The Chief Medical Officer Professor Brendan Murphy says no. Common sense would dictate to them that they should be staying at home.”
Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese also said people shouldn’t protest in the current climate and should follow the health advice.
“There are a range of ways you can have your say without breaching the advice of the health experts,” he said in Queanbeyan on Saturday while also campaigning with Labor candidate Kristy McBain.
Liberal backbencher Trent Zimmerman said while the nation has done well in tackling the coronavirus, “It’s still present.”
“What we don’t want to see happening is the second wave that some other countries have experienced,” he told ABC television.
However, Australian Medical Association Western Australian president Andrew Miller doubts there will be little in the way of a second wave given Australia’s effective management in tackling the virus.
“But we will see outbreaks throughout the community, as we have been doing,” Dr Miller told ABC television.
On whether people should be attending protests, he said: “Everything is a risk at the moment.
“We need to just keep this in context with shopping centres, restaurants, pubs … starting to open up again,” he said.
“In that context, it is possible for people to attend protests, assess the situation, wear a mask, take hand hygiene, not touch things, and I think, in many instances for people that will be just as safe, if not safer, than going on public transport or going into shopping centres.” Thousands of protesters are expected to defy politicians and police in his state and hold a Black Lives Matter rally in Perth.
In Sydney, police have warned they will be out in force if protesters proceed with a prohibited “Free the Refugees” rally while refugee advocates also plan to rally in Melbourne’s north to protest against the indefinite detention of asylum seekers.
A crowd of 700 to 1000 turned up for Black Lives Matter rally in Darwin, according to Sky News.
Meanwhile, one person has tested positive to the coronavirus in Queensland overnight while NSW Health authorities have confirmed a teacher from Sydney’s eastern suburbs has been diagnosed with coronavirus.
The case caused Rose Bay Public School to be closed on Friday. There have been around 7290 COVID-19 cases in Australia with a death toll of 102.
MEGHAN ‘MORTIFIED’ BY BEST FRIEND’S THREAT
It comes as Meghan Markle has been left shocked after her best friend allegedly threatened to sue a black influencer following a row on social media.
The Duchess of Sussex is reportedly “absolutely mortified” by Jessica Mulroney’s actions and “can no longer be associated with her”.
Mulroney’s fight with Sasha Exeter began over the blogger’s support for the anti-racism protests that have swept the US.
According to the single black mother, Mulroney threatened to badmouth Exeter to companies and brands that support her blog.
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Exeter described details of the row in a video posted to Instagram.
Exeter said she became “paralysed by fear” and “literally sick to my stomach,” before finally deciding to air the dispute in public.
“Listen, I am by no means calling Jess a racist but what I will say is this: She is very well aware of her wealth, her perceived power and privilege because of the colour of her skin,” she said.
“And that my friends gave her the momentary confidence to come for my livelihood in writing,” she said, describing Mulroney’s actions as “textbook white privilege.”
Mulroney, who has had her TV show s Do, Redo pulled from a Canadian television network over the incident, posted an apology on Instagram after Exeter went public. However, she then allegedly sent a private message to the blogger threatening to sue her for libel, according to the Daily Mail.
“Meghan is absolutely mortified that she’s been dragged into this complete mess. She said Jessica is in no way a racist, but the way she handled the situation (with the fashion influencer) was tone-deaf and heartbreaking,” a close friend of Meghan’s told the Daily Mail.
Mulroney met Markle in Toronto, where the Duchess lived while filming TV drama Suits, before she married Britain’s Prince Harry.
The source reportedly said that they “wouldn’t be surprised” if this was “the beginning of the end” of Markle and Mulroney’s friendship.
Along with her TV show being dumped, Mulroney also lost her job as a fashion and bridal consultant for Canadian department store Hudson’s Bay, and will no longer appear as a guest expert on Canada’s longest-running women’s daytime television show Cityline.
Following CTV’s decision to pull I Do, Redo, the network’s parent company Bell Media said in a statement Mulroney’s actions conflicted with their “commitment to diversity and equality.”
They added that on-air talent was expected to “listen to and amplify black voices, and not to minimise them.
Originally published as Police officer who shot and killed man at fast food outlet could be charged midweek