Days after the brutal killing of George Floyd in Minnesota by a white police officer, 27-year-old African-American man Rayshard Brooks was shot at and killed by Atlanta Police officer at Wendy’s on June 12.
As per Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), the Atlanta Police Department arrived at the Wendy’s at 125 University Avenue after receiving a complaint of a man asleep in his vehicle in the drive-thru.
A sobriety test was conducted where Brooks failed. When police tried to take him into custody, he resisted. In the struggle between the law enforcement officers and Brooks that followed, Brooks was tased.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation, which is investigating the shooting, said the deadly confrontation started after they received a complaint accusing Brooks of sleeping in a car blocking the restaurant’s drive-thru lane.
However, according to the lawyer representing the deceased, Brooks was the father of a young daughter who was celebrating her birthday on Saturday, died from a police bullet.
Reportedly, the videos shot by a bystanders show Brooks struggling with two officers on the ground outside the Wendy’s before breaking free and running across the parking lot with what appears to be a police taser in his hand.
Police chief resigns
Meanwhile, the Atlanta police chief resigned on Saturday after the incident at Wendy’s. Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced that she had accepted the resignation of Police Chief Erika Shields.
The Mayor said it was Shields’ own decision to step aside as police chief but would remain with the city in an undetermined role.
Protests against killing of Rayshard Brooks
The protesters have now hit the streets to protest against the killing of Brooks in Atlanta. The protesters have shut down a major highway in Atlanta on Saturday and set fire to a restaurant where the incident happened.
The Wendys where Atlanta Police shot and killed #RayshardBrooks has been lit on fire by protesters: pic.twitter.com/8i5uiAjPHp
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) June 14, 2020
Atlanta: Wendy's on University Ave. on fire as protests have taken over the interstate in response to the killing of Rayshard Brooks by police on Friday.
— Camila (@camilateleSUR) June 14, 2020
Police chief Erika Shields has reportedly resigned following weeks of protest. Video: CBS affiliate pic.twitter.com/6d9OthFBrQ
Hundreds of people chanted Brooks’ name outside the Wendy’ and they also carried placards with the deceased name on them and demanded justice. A group protesting the death of George Floyd also joined a group gathered to protest the death of Rayshard Brooks.
The death of Rayshard Brooks comes at the backdrop of the death of another African-American man George Floyd, which has led to severe protests against the cops in the United States accusing them of in-discrimination and racism against black people.
