Describing footage of the incident, Reynolds said Brooks appears to run away from officers before “it appears to the eye that he points the taser at the Atlanta officer.”
Reynolds continued, “At that point, the Atlanta officer reaches down and retrieves his weapon from his holster, discharges it, strikes Mr. Brooks there on the parking lot, and he goes down.”
Per the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office, Brooks died on June 13. The cause of death was gunshot wounds to the back and the manner of death was ruled a homicide.
Officer Garrett Rolfe was fired and Officer Devin Brosnan was placed on administrative leave, NBC News reported, citing department spokesman Carlos Campos.
Police Chief Erika Shields announced in a statement on June 13 that she had offered to “step aside as police chief.”
“APD has my full support, and Mayor Bottoms has my support on the future direction of this department,” Shields said. “I have faith in the Mayor, and it is time for the city to move forward and build trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve.”
L. Chris Stewart, an attorney for Brooks’ family, told Hoda Kotb on Today, “That man’s life should not have been taken so callously simply for running away with a nonlethal weapon, according to their definition.”
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