Ex-Cop That Shot Rayshard Brooks Had 12 Prior Complaints

garrett rolfe

Police/Facebook Garrett Rolfe and Rayshard Brooks

The disciplinary file for the former Atlanta Police Department officer who shot Rayshard Brooks over the weekend has been released.

The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports that Garrett Rolfe racked up 12 complaints during his seven-year tenure with the police department. In 2017, he received his one and only complaint about excessive use of force. His other complaints include car accidents and complaints from citizens. One of the complaints detail that there was a discharge of a firearm during an incident. In nine of the incidents he was absolved after an internal investigation.

Rolfe was fired after the fatal Brooks shooting.  Devin Brosnan, the other officer who was present during the encounter with Brooks, has been placed on administrative duty. Brosnan, who joined the Atlanta Police Department in 2018, does not have a disciplinary history.


Brooks was Sleeping in his Car When the Police Were Called June 12

Brosnan and Rolfe were called on June 12 because Brooks was sleeping in his car in the drive-thru of a Wendy’s restaurant.

“I tried to wake him up, but he’s parked dead in the middle of the drive-thru, so I don’t know what’s wrong with him,” a 911 caller said.

According to videos circulating on social media, Brooks and the two officers were conversing calmly about why Brooks was asleep in his car. After he failed a breathalyzer test, Brosnan and Rolfe went to arrest Brooks. They engaged in a struggle as Brooks resisted arrest and they fought over a taser which Brooks was able to take from them. Brooks escaped and as he ran away Rolfe fatally shot Brooks.

“It does appear in the video that he is fleeing from the Atlanta police officers, that as he’s fleeing he turns back over his shoulder with what appears to the naked eye to be his Taser that the eyewitnesses told us they saw the individual have that belonged to one of the officers,” Georgia Bureau of Investigation Vic Reynolds said according to AJC. “And as he turned it over, you’ll be able to see on the video the Atlanta officer, literally reach down to get his service weapon and as he gets his weapon, Mr. Brooks begins turning his body away from him, I presume to flee.”

Brooks’ death left Atlanta outraged and they continued to protest. The same Wendy’s that Brooks slept in front of was burned down.


Atlanta Mayor Keisha Bottoms Said the Police Reacted Inappropriately

On June 13, the same day Rolfe was fired, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Bottoms said she didn’t agree with Rolfe’s conduct.

“While there may be debate as to whether this was an appropriate use of deadly force, I firmly believe that there is a distinction between what you can do and what you should do,” Bottoms said CNN reported.

Paul Howard, the Fulton County District Attorney, also stated that the situation should have been handled differently.

“(Brooks) did not seem to present any kind of threat to anyone, and so the fact that it would escalate to his death just seems unreasonable,” Howard said. “It just seems like this is not the kind of conversation and incident that should have led to someone’s death.”

 

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