*We’ve got more info regarding the charges filed against the Atlanta policemen involved in the killing of Rayshard Brooks in a Wendy’s parking lot last Friday (06-12-20).
After Brooks was shot in the back (twice), Atlanta police officers kicked him and stood on his body, according to Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard.
On Wednesday, Howard presented that allegation and more in a lengthy press conference while announcing that Garrett Rolfe was being charged with 11 counts, including felony murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
RELATED: Ex-Atlanta Cop (Garrett Rolfe) Charged with Felony Murder of Rayshard Brooks
As we reported, Brooks was shot by Rolfe on Friday night in the fast-food restaurant’s parking lot after police responded to a call about Brooks being asleep in his car in the drive-thru lane. Brooks failed a sobriety test and officers tried to handcuff him.
Videos from the scene show Brooks wrestling with two white officers and grabbing a Taser from one of them. Brooks aimed the Taser at the officers while running away.
Howard, however, listed multiple examples that he said contributed to finding Rolfe’s actions against Brooks as criminal.
On top of that, he contends that Rolfe knew the Taser that Brooks had “presented no danger” because it had already been shot twice.
Here’s more via USA Today/MSN News:
Department policy does not allow officers to fire a Taser at a fleeing suspect, much less shoot them, Howard said.
And Howard cited legal precedent that said officers may not use deadly force to prevent a suspect from escaping unless they have “probable cause to believe that the suspect poses an immediate threat of death or of serious physical injury.” He presented numerous pieces of evidence that he said showed Brooks was no such threat.
As Brooks fled, he was shot in the back at a distance of more than 18 feet, with one of the bullets penetrating his heart, Howard said.
Officer Devin Brosnan was also at the scene and is facing three lesser charges. Rolfe was fired after shooting, while Brosnan was placed on leave.
Howard said his office had taken the unusual step of issuing an arrest warrant prior to an indictment, due to a number of contributing factors.
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