Rayshard Brooks family attorney says cops waited 2 minutes before checking for pulse
L. Chris Stewart, who is representing the Brooks family, says that cops chose to pick up shell casings before checking on the condition of Rayshard Brooks
Another Black family is mourning the death of a loved one at the hands of law enforcement after Rayshard Brooks was shot in the back by an Atlanta police officer in a Wendy’s parking lot on Friday.
The Brooks’ family attorney, L. Chris Stewart, in a Saturday press conference said that there’s more to the tragedy.
As reported by The New York Times, Stewart said that the white officers did not check Brooks’ pulse until 2 minutes after shooting the 27-year-old in the back. The officers instead opted to pick up their shell casings, first, before checking to check on Brooks’ condition, according to information Stewart said he gathered from witnesses.
READ MORE: Prominent Atlanta leaders react to the police shooting of Rayshard Brooks
As initially reported, the encounter between Brooks and police began after the officers confronted the man sleeping in his vehicle in the drive-thru of Wendy’s. Brooks was given a sobriety test, after which things took a turn.
Rayshard Brooks
Stewart also questioned the use of force in the incident. Police say Brooks had taken a Taser from one of the officers while attempting to detain him.
“His life was not in immediate harm when he fired that shot,” Stewart said of the officer who pulled the trigger.
Garrett Rolfe, who shot Brooks, has since been fired after almost seven years on the force. Devin Brosnan, the other officer on the scene, was placed on administrative duty, an Atlanta Police Department spokesperson said.
Police chief Erika Shields would later resign on Saturday.
READ MORE: Cousin of Rayshard Brooks says he thought Atlanta was better than this
The attorney contends that the Taser isn’t a deadly weapon and that the officers did not need to draw their weapons to shoot Brooks, which is a point he made repeatedly during the news conference. Stewart believes the officers could’ve easily cornered and arrested Brooks without shooting.
Prior to the shooting, an altercation ensued between Brooks and the officers as they attempted to arrest him. Stewart, however, said that witnesses attest that Brooks had been speaking to the officers in a “civil” manner and that they did not see a field sobriety test performed.
According to Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, security footage outside the Wendy’s parking lot where the incident happened showed that Brooks fired a Taser gun toward the officers as he began to run away.
Demonstrators protesting Brooks killing took to the streets and a group descended on the fast-food restaurant Saturday night. The restaurant was set ablaze that night.
#BREAKING Protesters have shut down I-85 near University ave, the highway that stretches over the Wendy's where #RayshardBrooks was shot and killed @fox5atlanta pic.twitter.com/UxzLzpF5Ym
— Alex Whittler (@AlexWhittler) June 14, 2020
The incident comes amid ongoing demonstrations across the country against police violence, racism and systemic inequity in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor in Kentucky, along with the vigilante killing of Ahamud Arbery in Georgia earlier this year.
Demonstrators have broken windows, set off a firework inside the Wendy’s where #RayshardBrooks was shot and killed by police. https://t.co/Gpji4sVuxd
— Courtney Bryant (@CourtneyDBryant) June 14, 2020
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