On the night of June 12, 2020, Rayshard Brooks, a 27-year-old Black man, died after being shot by an Atlanta Police Department officer in the parking lot of a Wendy's restaurant. The encounter began when Officer Devin Brosnan responded to a complaint about a man asleep in his car in the drive-through lane. Brosnan woke Brooks and had him move his car to a parking spot. Officer Garrett Rolfe arrived later to conduct a field sobriety test.
For approximately 40 minutes, the interaction was calm as Brooks cooperated with the officers. After a breathalyzer test indicated he was over the legal limit to drive, the officers attempted to place him under arrest.
A physical struggle began as the officers tried to handcuff Brooks. During the altercation, Brooks managed to take Officer Brosnan's Taser. He then broke free and started running across the parking lot. As he fled, Brooks turned and fired the stolen Taser in the direction of Officer Rolfe. In response, Rolfe drew his service weapon and fired three shots at Brooks, striking him twice in the back. A third bullet hit a nearby vehicle. Brooks was transported to a local hospital, where he died after surgery. The Fulton County Medical Examiner's office conducted an autopsy and ruled the death a homicide, with the cause of death being organ damage and blood loss from the two gunshot wounds.
The shooting led to immediate consequences for the officers involved. The day after the incident, Atlanta's police chief resigned, Officer Rolfe was fired, and Officer Brosnan was placed on administrative duty. Five days after the shooting, the Fulton County District Attorney announced charges against both men. Garrett Rolfe was charged with felony murder, among a total of 11 charges. Devin Brosnan faced lesser charges, including aggravated assault, and initially agreed to cooperate with the prosecution.
However, the legal proceedings took a different turn over time. In May 2021, the Atlanta Civil Service Board reversed Rolfe's firing, stating that the city had not followed its own procedures for disciplinary actions. Subsequently, the original district attorney was recused from the case, and a special prosecutor was appointed to re-examine the evidence. In August 2022, the special prosecutor announced that no criminal charges would be pursued against either officer. The prosecutor concluded that the officers' actions were reasonable under the circumstances and that they faced a rapidly evolving situation. Following this decision, the Atlanta City Council approved a $1 million settlement for Rayshard Brooks' family in November 2022 to resolve a wrongful death lawsuit filed by his widow.
