Funeral arrangements announced for Rayshard Brooks
Rayshard Brooks, 27 (Photo: Family).
ATLANTA - Funeral arrangements have been announced for Rayshard Brooks, who was shot and killed outside a fast-food restaurant during a confrontation with an Atlanta Police officer last week.
Brooks' funeral will take place on Tuesday, June 23, at 1 p.m. at Atlanta's historic Ebenezer Baptist Church.
FULL COVERAGE ON THE DEATH OF RAYSHARD BROOKS
"Rayshard was not a member of our church but he, and his loved ones, are a part of our family," said Ebenezer's Senior Pastor, Rev. Raphael G. Warnock. "We seek to embrace them, comfort them and walk beside them in the days ahead.
Earlier this week, Tyler Perry announced he would pay Brooks' funeral costs.
MORE: Tyler Perry to pay for Rayshard Brooks' funeral expenses
Brooks, 27, was shot and killed outside the Wendy's along University Avenue in southeast Atlanta. Two officers responded to the restaurant after complaints of a car blocking the drive-thru lane. Investigators said Brooks was found by Officer Devin Brosnan inside the car, asleep.
According to police, Brooks agreed to move the car, showed his license, and then Officer Garrett Rolfe arrived at the scene to conduct a sobriety check.
The two officers’ body cameras and the dash-mounted cameras in their patrol cars showed they spent more than 40 minutes peacefully questioning Brooks. The fighting erupted when they tried to handcuff him.
One of the dash cameras recorded the brawl. As Brooks fought to stand, Brosnan pressed a Taser to his leg and threatened to stun him. Brooks then grabbed the Taser and pulled it away. He struggled to his feet with the Taser in his hand, and started running. He was eventually able to use the Taser against the police.
Not long after, the deadly shots were fired by Officer Rolfe, who's now facing 11 charges, including felony murder. Officer Brosnan has been charged with aggravated assault and violating his oath of office.
MORE: Fulton County DA charges officers involved in deadly shooting of Rayshard Brooks
The Fulton County Medical Examiner ruled Rayshard Brooks' death a homicide following an autopsy, which showed he died from two gunshot wounds to his back.
In a statement, Rolfe's lawyer told FOX 5 that, while Brooks' death was tragic, the former officer's actions were justified under the rules involving the use of deadly force by officers.
"Mr. Brooks violently attacked two officers and disarmed one of them. When Mr. Brooks turned and pointed an object at Officer Rolfe, any officer would have reasonably believed that he intended to disarm, disable, or seriously injure him," a spokesperson for the LoRusso Law Firm said. "Officer Rolfe is well known to the courts and there is no compelling reason to bring any charges against them before the GBI has completed its investigation and published its findings."