The officer who had been charged with Brook’s murder has been released from custody and protests could begin in Atlanta
The police officer who shot and killed Rayshard Brooks has been reinstated as a police officer
The former Codea City police officer who had been fired from his job and had been charged with murder in the death of Rayshard Braoks has been added to the Atlanta Police Department.
Garrett Rolfe was fired on June 14, 2020, two days after shooting and killing Brooks, a 27-year-old black man who had slept in a car parked in a Wendy’s parking lot.
On Wednesday, the Atlanta Civil Service Board reversed the decision to fire Rolfe, a seven-year veteran of the APD.
It noted that Rolfe should have received an order of his termination with 10 days’ notice and an opportunity to respond to it.
The city had argued that these rules do not apply because it was treated as “emergency action.”
However, the burn was not properly marked as an emergency action in the termination documents, and Rolfe was only given hours to respond.
“The Board of Directors grants Garrett Rolfe’s appeal and reiterates his termination as an APD employee.” The ruling notes, then APD chief Erika Shields did not sign Rolfes’ termination form.
The death of Brooks, a father of four daughters, came just weeks after the murder of George Floyd and helped reignite nationwide protests against police handling of black Americans.
Brooks was shot in the back as he fled from officers after being tasered.
After the shooting, medical aid was not provided for two minutes, and Rolfe bent Brook’s body over.
On June 17, 2020, the Fulton County District Attorney announced 11 charges against Rolfe, including Felony Murder, and three charges against Devin Brosnan, the other officer present.
During the Atlanta Civil Service Board hearing the sergeant, William Dean, a 25-year APD veteran and currently assigned to the internal affairs of the internal affairs legal profession, told the Executive Board that Rolfe’s “hasty release may have been due in part to a press conference that was on the horizon.”
