Death of Rayshard Brooks: Atlanta reflects on anniversary of police shooting
ATLANTA - In the midst of a tumultuous summer of protests responding law enforcement killings of Black Americans, an incident in Atlanta caught the nation’s attention.
Rayshard Brooks was a father of four celebrating his daughter’s birthday at an arcade on June 12, 2020, hours before he was killed in the parking lot of an Atlanta Wendy’s.
Video captured Brooks evading arrest after allegedly taking a Taser from an officer attempting to arrest him following a sobriety test.
The shooting came at a time of heightened tension over police brutality and calls for reforms across the U.S. following the May 25 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Atlanta saw large crowds of protesters the morning after Brooks' shooting.
The Atlanta Civil Service Board ordered the officer charged in Brooks' death, Garrett Rolfe, to be reinstated by the Atlanta Police Department.
A judge ruled Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is "disqualified" from prosecuting the Rayshard Brooks case after Willis requested to be recused from prosecuting Rolfe.
People reflected publicly on social media one year after Brooks' death.
Organizations in Atlanta marked the anniversary of Brooks' death.
President of the Atlanta chapter of the NAACP, attorney Gerald Griggs, shared a message on his Instagram account.
Protests were scheduled in Atlanta at the site of Brooks' death on Saturday afternoon.
The anniversary of Brooks' death inspired messages and art to be shared from organizations and people not only in Atlanta but across the country. Organizations urged people to take time Saturday to contact lawmakers if they are in support of police reform.
Lawyers for Brooks' family said he was a father of four with daughters ranging from the ages of 1 to 8. He also had a 13-year-old stepson.
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