Police shooting death of Rayshard Brooks rocks Atlanta
- US city’s police chief resigns and police officer fired after shooting of Rayshard Brooks, following weeks of demonstrations over death of George Floyd
- Authorities in California probe death of another black man, Robert Fuller, who was found hanging from tree near City Hall
Protesters shut down a major highway in Atlanta and set fire to a Wendy’s restaurant where a black man was shot by police as he tried to escape arrest, an incident caught on video and sure to fuel more nationwide demonstrations.
The unrest broke out after dark in Atlanta, where earlier in the day Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said she had accepted the prompt resignation of police chief Erika Shields over the death on Friday night of 27-year-old Rayshard Brooks at the Wendy’s.
Early on Sunday, the police department announced it had dismissed the officer who shot him, and another officer was placed on administrative duty. It also released body camera and dash camera footage from both of them.
The terminated officer was identified as Garrett Rolfe, who was hired in October 2013, and the officer placed on administrative duty is Devin Brosnan, who was hired in September 2018.
Images on local television showed the restaurant in flames for more than 45 minutes before fire crews arrived to extinguish the blaze, protected by a line of police officers. By that time the building was reduced to charred rubble next to a petrol station.