Rayshard Brooks: What’s changed 2 years since Atlanta man’s death? Where are the officers now?
ATLANTA, Ga. - The deadly shooting of Rayshard Brooks came in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic and not long after several other police killings sparked national outrage, including the death of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia.
Two years later, mourners planned a vigil at the site of Brooks’ death on June 12, 2022. The shooting set a domino chain of events in motion.
Gunmen took over the Wendy’s parking lot where Brooks died on June 12, 2022. Weeks later, young Secoriea Turner was shot and killed there.
While the officers involved in the shooting still face criminal charges, they’ve been cleared of wrongdoing.
Rayshard Brooks, 27 (Photo: Family).
Since the shooting, there Atlanta's police department has changed leadership twice. There's also a new mayor in city hall.
TIMELINE: RAYSHARD BROOKS SHOOTING, PROTESTS, FALLOUT FOR OFFICERS
Shootings continue at alarming rates in Atlanta and across the U.S. The two-year anniversary of Brooks’ death comes the day after groups across the country marched to advocate for gun safety laws.
Garrett Rolfe, Devin Brosnan legal fallout
The Atlanta Police Department first fired Garrett Rolfe, then later reinstated him with back pay. He's charged with murder and is currently on administrative leave pending the outcome of his trial.
Authorities charged Officer Devin Brosnan with aggravated assault and violation of oath of office.
On Friday, the officers announced lawsuits, seeking monetary damages from the city, the former mayor and police chief. The suit claims the city violated officers’ constitutional rights.
Secoriea Turner’s death, murder case
Secoriea Turner was shot and killed on July 4, 2020, in an SUV near the Wendy’s restaurant where Rayshard Brooks died weeks earlier.
Julian Conley, 20, and Jerrion McKinney, 23, were arrested in connection to the girl's death. Conley is charged with malice murder and felony murder in Secoriea’s killing, and both men face aggravated assault, gun and gang-related charges.
Both men pleaded not guilty.
Secoriea’s parents are suing the city over their daughter’s death.
Atlanta police leadership
Less than a day after Brooks’ death, former Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields stepped down.
Shields is now chief of the Louisville Metro Police Department in Kentucky.
The mayor announced that former Assistant Police Chief Rodney Bryant would serve as the interim chief. Interim Chief Rodney Bryant said police officers called out sick Thursday to protest the filing of murder charges against Garrett Rolfe. Bryant, who came out of retirement to step in as police chief, was appointed as the full-time chief by then-mayor Kiesha Lance Bottoms.
Bryant recently announced he was retiring again to make way for Darin Schierbaum as interim Atlanta police chief.
Atlanta leadership
Former Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms was tasked with guiding the city through the pandemic and destruction in Downtown Atlanta over the death of George Floyd, a Minneapolis man who was killed in police custody. Months later, she announced Shields’ resignation and Bryant’s appointment in the wake of Rayshard Brooks’ death.
She was floated as a potential pick for President Joe Biden's cabinet.
After a term filled with turmoil, Bottoms announced she would not seek reelection. Current Mayor Andre Dickens beat Felicia Moore to succeed Bottoms as mayor. Bottoms has since appeared on CNN as a political consultant.
Then Fulton County D.A. Paul Howard announced charges against Brosnan and Rolfe days after the Brooks' death. Fani Willis beat Howard in a race for the D.A.‘s office and took over in 2021. Willis requested to recuse herself from the case against Rolfe.