A former white Atlanta police officer was taken into custody on Thursday after he was charged with the “murder” of a young black man, Rayshard Brooks, who was shot dead in this large city in the southern United States on Friday.
Garrett Rolfe, 27, is incarcerated in Fulton County jail, according to the establishment’s website. The day before, local prosecutor Paul Howard had issued an arrest warrant against him and given him a day to surrender himself to the authorities.
A second officer present during the tragedy, Devin Brosnan, charged with “assault”, also surrendered to the police on Thursday, but was released on bail, according to local media. He has agreed to cooperate with the law and testify against his colleague, according to prosecutor Howard.
Two bullets in the back
On Friday evening, employees of a fast food restaurant called the police because a sleepy person driving his car was blocking access to the drive-in of the restaurant. Upon arrival, officers discovered Rayshard Brooks, 27, intoxicated.
The young man had been cooperative for more than half an hour. The situation had escalated when the officers wanted to arrest him: he grabbed one of the police’s Taser pistols and fled.
Constable Rolfe then opened fire, even though, according to the prosecutor, “Mr. Brooks did not pose an immediate threat”. According to the official autopsy, he died after being shot twice in the back. Garrett Rolfe was immediately dismissed from the police and his colleague assigned to administrative duties.
But the drama has rekindled anger in the United States, alive since the death of George Floyd, an African-American asphyxiated by a white policeman from Minneapolis on May 25.
–
