After the death of Rayshard Brooks after a police operation in the US metropolis of Atlanta, one of the officers involved had to fear the death penalty.
The prosecutor charged the police on Wednesday (local time) with murder, among other things. He used excessive force, said prosecutor Paul Howard in Atlanta, Georgia. This is the case in the case of a sentence of life imprisonment without parole or even the death penalty.
The 27-year-old’s death after the operation had further fueled nationwide protests against police violence and racism in the United States after the George Floyd case in Minneapolis. Brooks had fallen asleep at the wheel of his car on Friday evening when he was waiting in line at a fast food restaurant.
Police officers found that he had been drinking too much and wanted to arrest him. There was a scuffle, Brooks grabbed an official’s stun gun and fled. One of the two policemen fired shots that hit him in the back and injured him. He was released without notice and the other officer was temporarily suspended.
“Never shown any aggressive behavior”
Brooks had “never shown any aggressive behavior or a threat in over 40 minutes of talking to the officials,” prosecutor Howard said. His behavior was cooperative and “almost cheerful”. After the man went to the ground after the shots, the now accused Brooks policeman kicked in addition. Over two minutes while he was fighting for his life, nobody cared about the 27-year-old. A bullet from the cop had hit Brooks’ heart. In a first statement, the police officer then said “I caught him”.
According to Howard, the second police officer involved was also indicted, among other things, for serious physical injury. He had stood on the shoulders of the dying man, as could be seen in the pictures. He also agreed to testify as a witness. According to the investigators, eight videos, including the police officers’ body cameras, had been evaluated for the charges. In addition, witnesses were questioned and a ballistic analysis and the preliminary autopsy report were inspected.
Brooks’s family lawyer, Justin Miller, welcomed the prosecutor’s decision. «But that’s only the first step. Step two is the conviction on all charges ». Widow Tomika Miller only spoke briefly and visibly emotionally. She was very hurt. “Father’s Day is at the door and all I can think of is what if my husband were still here.” Brooks’ daughter had turned eight, according to media reports, on Saturday.
Brooks died less than three weeks after African American George Floyd was killed in a brutal police operation in the state of Minnesota. Floyd’s fate has sparked protests against police violence and racism. After Brooks’ death there had been raging protests in Atlanta. The fast food restaurant, in the parking lot of which the crime happened, went up in flames the following night. The city’s police chief, Erika Shields, resigned.
The Mayor of Atlanta, Keisha Lance Bottoms, announced a police reform on Monday. Police officers had to be “guardians, not warriors,” said the mayor on Monday. It enacted regulations to limit the use of force by police officers to the bare minimum. All officials would have to be trained in de-escalation again and again in the future, she explained. In addition, all police officers would have to intervene in the event of excessive use of force by colleagues and also report them in order to avoid penalties. (dpa)
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