The Cop Who Killed Rayshard Brooks Will Not Be Charged: Here’s Why
Two white Atlanta police officers involved in the fatal shooting of Rayshard Brooks in a 2020 encounter will not be charged, raising questions about how police nationwide are facing the aftermath of the shooting Deadly.
Brooks was killed three weeks after the death of George Floyd, sparked a wave of protests in Atlanta calling for an end to racial inequality and police brutality.
Hours after he was shot dead, Atlanta police chief resigns. One officer was fired and the other placed on administrative leave, and sanctions were announced against both.
But more than two years later, both officers are still employed by the Atlanta Police Department. This is how efforts to punish police have failed despite a nationwide push for police accountability.
How did Rayshard Brooks die?
Brooks, 27, was shot by an officer while on the run during a scuffle in Wendy’s driveway in June 2020. Brooks, who is black, fell asleep in his car while driving.
After he failed a sobriety test and two white policemen tried to arrest him, Brooks resisted being handcuffed. He wrested a Taser from one of the officers and was on the run, shooting it at one of the officers, when he was shot.
The Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled Brooks’ death a homicide, according to a press release.
“Mr Brooks had two gunshot wounds to his back, which caused organ damage and blood loss,” the statement said.
Did the officers involved in Rayshard Brooks’ death experience any consequences?
The officer who shot Brooks twice in the back, Garrett Rolfe, was fired the day after the shooting. Another officer present at the shooting, Devin Brosnan, has been assigned administrative duties.
Five days after Brooks was killed, then-Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard announced warrants for the two officers during a press conference. Rolfe’s charges include felony murder, aggravated assault, and breach of his oath. Brosnan was charged with aggravated assault and breach of oath.
But Brosnan’s dismissal was overturned by the Atlanta Civil Service Council in May 2021, and the executive director of the Georgia Attorney General’s Attorneys Council said Tuesday he would file paperwork to refute the subpoenas.
Pete Skandalakis says he believes Rolfe acted appropriately in shooting and killing Brooks.
Both officers are still employed by the Atlanta Police Department on administrative duties, The ministry confirmed on Tuesday.
Why are the police not charged with Rayshard Brooks’ death?
Skandalakis on Tuesday said he doesn’t believe race plays a significant role.
“This was a case where officers were willing to give Mr Brooks every benefit when in doubt and, you know, unfortunately, by his actions, this is what happened,” Skandalakis said. speak
The charges against police in Brooks’ death were once seen as part of a “new era” in policing – an era in which advocates hope police will be more closely monitored and there is a greater risk of consequences when the public disapproves of their use of force.
But experts tell USA TODAY that’s only partially true.
Keith Taylor, a longtime New York City police officer who currently teaches criminal justice at John Jay College, said: .
Persistent Barriers to Successful Charges of an Officer: U.S. law considers an officer’s subjective feelings when he or she chooses to use force.
Video by bystanders can depict a scene that appears to be overly coercive, but when a decision to charge is made, what’s more important is the officer’s “perception of the feeling that they or someone else is being bullied.” in grave danger,” Taylor said.
Protections for police can take many forms: collective bargaining agreements, laws or departmental policies. And changing them isn’t easy and hasn’t happened in mass across the country since the death of George Floyd.
How often does a police officer face charges or dismissal for misconduct?
After the former police officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced to 22 and a half years in prison As for the 2020 murder of George Floyd, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison called the sentencing “an important moment for our country.”
“The outcome of this case is extremely important, but by itself it is not enough,” he said. “My hope for our country is that this moment gives us pause and allows us to dedicate ourselves to real social change that will take us further on the road to success.” Justice.”
But Chauvin’s conviction fell short of the norm for how many police officers face murder charges.
In 2015 and 2016, 80 police officers were arrested for murder or manslaughter, according to data from Police Crime Database Henry A. Wallace, which tracks criminal arrests by nonpartisan police officers. 66% of those officers were on duty during the shooting, and 78% operated as their official police officer, the data showed.
But the arrest rate for fatal shooting police officers is extremely low – around 1% and never higher than 2%, says Philip Matthew Stinson, the researcher behind the database, told Vox.
Maria “Maki” Haberfeld, a professor of police science at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, told USA TODAY that police have come under greater scrutiny and are being watched more closely since the incident. George Floyd’s death and massive nationwide protests calling for an end to police brutality.
Some easy-to-make changes — like an increased use of oranges on the body — have become more common in recent years, Haberfeld says.
But she sees less evidence of systemic reforms — things like overhauling training to better instruct officers on how to keep situations from escalating into violence.
“Officers continue to behave the same way… whoever thinks this is a new era, it’s more theory than practice,” Haberfeld said.
Contributing: Grace Hauck and Nicquel Terry Ellis, USA TODAY; Related press