Prosecutors won’t pursue charges against the two white Atlanta police officers involved in the fatal 2020 shooting of Rayshard Brooks.
CNN reports murder and assault charges have been dismissed against Officers Garrett Rolfe and Devin Brosnan. Both men were charged in the shooting death of 27-year-old Brooks, who was shot and killed outside a Wendy’s parking lot on June 12, 2020 after he was stopped by police and failed a sobriety test. During his arrest, Brooks allegedly grabbed a Taser from one of the cops and fired it at Rolfe’s head.
“Both acted as reasonable officers would under the facts and circumstances of the events of that night,” special prosecutor Peter Skandalakis said. “Both acted in accordance with well-established law and were justified in the use of force regarding the situation.”
“Was it objectively reasonable that (Rolfe) can use deadly force? We determined it was,” Skandalakis added.
Skandalakis went on to say that Brooks’ death was different than that of George Floyd, who was fatally shot by police around the same time in Minneapolis.
“This is not a case in which an officer was kneeling on a prone suspect for nine minutes, nor was it like the Ahmaud Arbery case, where armed citizens were chasing a young man through a neighborhood,” Skandalakis said.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens also issued a statement, saying, “My heart continues to ache for the family of Rayshard Brooks. He was a father whose absence will forever be felt by our community. This matter was referred to the special prosecutor last year. … I respect the independent role that the special prosecutor played in this case. Today, we received his decision. Over the last two years, our country has been engaged in important discussions about policing in America. We must maintain our commitment to the work of creating safe communities through collaboration between police and the people they serve.”
