Fulton County DA says officer who shot Rayshard Brooks kicked him while he laid on the ground 'fighting for his life'

Paul Howard.
(Image credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Garrett Rolfe, the former Atlanta police officer who shot and killed Rayshard Brooks in a Wendy's parking lot Friday evening, has been charged with felony murder and 10 other offenses, Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard Jr. said Wednesday.

Brooks, a 27-year-old man black man, was asleep in his car when Rolfe and another officer, Devin Brosnan, had him take a sobriety test. A scuffle ensued, and police said Brooks grabbed one of the officer's nonlethal tasers before running away when Rolfe drew his weapon and fired, shooting him twice in the back, allegedly declaring "I got him." Prosecutors also said Brooks "never presented himself as a threat" and that Rolfe kicked him after the shooting, an action Howard said suggests Rolfe wasn't fearful of Brooks.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.