Status: 08/24/2022 10:46 a.m
A black man was killed by police gunfire in Atlanta in June 2020 for resisting arrest. Now the prosecutor decided that no charges will be brought. The use of deadly force was justified.
More than two years after the deadly police shots at the African American Rayshard Brooks in the US city of Atlanta, no charges have been brought against the two police officers involved. Prosecutor Pete Skandalakis, in charge of the case, said the charges against the two white officers would be dropped. The use of deadly force was justified.
Brooks was shot in the back by one of the two on June 12, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia, as he tried to evade arrest. The drunk African American fell asleep at the wheel of his car and blocked the entrance to a fast food restaurant.
Police camera video showed the two officers initially having a quiet conversation with Brooks for about 40 minutes. When the police wanted to arrest the 27-year-old after an alcohol test, Brooks, who initially cooperated, snatched a stun gun from one of the officers, ran away and fired the taser in the direction of the police officers. One of the officers then opened fire, hitting Brooks twice in the back.
Incident a few weeks after Floyd’s death
The incident happened a few weeks after the death of African American George Floyd in a brutal police operation in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Brooks’ death had also caused great outrage and protests in the midst of a heated mood across the country.
Police officer initially accused of murder
The police officer who fired was initially accused of murder and arrested. Prosecutor Skandalakis now defended the officials. “In view of the rapidly changing circumstances, was it objectively justified that he used deadly force?” Skandalakis asked on Tuesday. “We conclude that it was.”
He acknowledged that encounters between police and the African American community are sometimes “highly explosive,” but he doesn’t think that played a role in this case. “This is not one of those cases,” he said.
A lawyer for Brooks’ family criticized the decision. The cessation of the procedure breaks the hearts of the relatives. The family is “confused” and will continue their fight.
At a news conference, attorneys for the Brooks family, Justin Miller and L. Chris Stewart, said the family will continue to fight for Brooks.
Image: AP