(NewsGlobal.com)- Two Atlanta officers who had shot and killed 27-year-old Rayshard Brooks in June 2020 had the charges quietly dropped against them for using deadly force, according to Daily Wire.
Officer Garret Rolfe, who shot Brooks twice in the back, and Officer Devin Bronson were facing charges of felony murder, aggravated assault, and violation charges when they responded to a scene in June 2020 of a man who fell asleep in the drive-thru lane at a Wendy’s in South Atlanta. When the officers arrived, they spoke with Brooks for 40 minutes before concluding that he was drunk. After agreeing to take a field alcohol test, Brooks was found to have consumed more than the legal limit.
The two officers attempted to arrest Brooks, but the 27-year-old began to resist and wrestled his way out of their control, resulting in both officers falling to the ground, leaving one with a concussion. While they attempted to apprehend Brooks, he stole Brosnan’s taser and proceeded to fire at Rolfe while fleeing the scene. It was then that Rolfe fired three bullets which resulted in Brooks’ death.
Pete Skandalakis, executive director of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia said that they are dropping the charges against the officers after learning of the “dynamic situation” that was “quickly evolving.”
The police department said that they respect the special prosecutor’s decision in the case, saying that “Both Officer Garrett Rolfe and Officer Devin Brosnan are still employed with APD. They are currently on administrative duty. Both officers will undergo Georgia P.O.S.T. recertification and training.”
The shooting occurred just a few weeks after the killing of George Floyd which resulted in nationwide BLM protests and Antifa agitators. After Brooks’ death, rioters took to the same Wendy’s where he was shot and burned it down.
“Black lives do matter,” Skandalakis said during a press conference, according to Daily Mail. “I’ve spent my entire career representing black victims of crime. I understand that the encounters between police and the African American community at times are very volatile. But I would ask them to look at the facts of this case, and this isn’t one of those cases.”
