Lawyer for Atlanta cop says he has not agreed to be a 'state's witness' in Rayshard Brooks case
An attorney for Atlanta Police officer Devin Brosnan is disputing Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard's announcement that Brosnan "has now become a state's witness."
Brosnan was one of the two officers involved in last week's deadly shooting of Rayshard Brooks, a 27-year-old father of three. Brooks fell asleep in his car in a Wendy's drive-thru, and police said he grabbed a taser and ran off as officers tried to arrest him following a series of field sobriety tests. Former Atlanta Police officer Garrett Rolfe fired three shots at him, with two hitting Brooks in the back.
During a press conference Wednesday, Howard announced 11 criminal charges against Rolfe, including felony murder. Brosnan, who is now on administrative leave, has been charged with aggravated assault and violating his oath of office.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
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.
Howard also said Brosnan seemed to "actually indicate that he is willing to testify against someone in his own department," but Brosnan's attorney, Don Samuel, told CNN that his client "has not agreed to testify. He has not agreed to plead guilty. He honestly told the DA's office everything that happened during a lengthy interview yesterday. ... But he is absolutely not guilty of any crime and will not plead guilty and has not agreed to be a 'state's witness.'"
Samuel made a similar statement to reporters after Howard's press conference, saying, "We've never agreed to cooperate." When asked about the denial, Howard responded, "I'm not surprised by that. We've already interviewed him twice and I can say what he's said to us."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
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.
-
Today's political cartoons - November 24, 2024
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - taped bananas, flying monkeys, and more
By The Week US Published
-
The Spanish cop, 20 million euros and 13 tonnes of cocaine
In the Spotlight Óscar Sánchez Gil, Chief Inspector of Spain's Economic and Tax Crimes Unit, has been arrested for drug trafficking
By The Week UK Published
-
5 hilarious cartoons about the rise and fall of Matt Gaetz
Cartoons Artists take on age brackets, backbiting, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Judge blocks Louisiana 10 Commandments law
Speed Read U.S. District Judge John deGravelles ruled that a law ordering schools to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms was unconstitutional
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
ATF finalizes rule to close 'gun show loophole'
Speed Read Biden moves to expand background checks for gun buyers
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Hong Kong passes tough new security law
Speed Read It will allow the government to further suppress all forms of dissent
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
France enshrines abortion rights in constitution
speed read It became the first country to make abortion a constitutional right
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Texas executes man despite contested evidence
Speed Read Texas rejected calls for a rehearing of Ivan Cantu's case amid recanted testimony and allegations of suppressed exculpatory evidence
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Supreme Court wary of state social media regulations
Speed Read A majority of justices appeared skeptical that Texas and Florida were lawfully protecting the free speech rights of users
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Greece legalizes same-sex marriage
Speed Read Greece becomes the first Orthodox Christian country to enshrine marriage equality in law
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump and his lawyer Alina Habba have a rough day in defamation court
Speed Read Trump's audible grousing as E. Jean Carroll testified earned him a warning he could be thrown out of court, and Habba showed she 'doesn't know what the hell she's doing'
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published