Medical examiner report: Rayshard Brooks was shot in the back, manner of death a homicide

A memorial for Rayshard Brooks.
(Image credit: Elijah Nouvelage/AFP via Getty Images)

Rayshard Brooks, a 27-year-old black man who was shot and killed by Atlanta police outside of a Wendy's on Friday night, sustained organ damage and blood loss from two gunshot wounds to the back, the Fulton County Medical Examiner said Sunday night.

The manner of death has been ruled a homicide. Brooks was found asleep inside his car while in the Wendy's drive-thru, and failed a sobriety test. Police said after resisting arrest, he grabbed an officer's taser and ran away. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation alleges he aimed the device at police before Officer Garret Rolfe opened fire. Rolfe was fired on Saturday, and a second officer who was at the scene, Devin Brosnan, has been placed on administrative leave. Protesters have been out in force since Saturday night to call attention to Brooks' death.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.