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Thursday, 28 March 2024

Atlanta police chief resigns as protesters decry killing of black man

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Atlanta police chief resigns as protesters decry killing of black man
Atlanta police chief resigns as protesters decry killing of black man

Atlanta's police chief resigned on Saturday, the city's mayor said, as protesters took to the streets hours after the fatal shooting by police of a black man who had fallen asleep in his car at a Wendy's fast-food restaurant drive-thru line.

This report produced by Jonah Green.

(Bottoms) "Chief shields will be stepping aside the police chief.'

Atlanta's police chief resigned on Saturday as protesters took to the streets hours after the fatal shooting by police of a black man.

Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said she accepted the resignation of police chief Erika Shields after the killing of 27-year-old Rayshard Brooks.

(Bottoms) “I do not believe this was a justified use of deadly force, and have called for immediate termination of the officer." Rayshard Brooks of Atlanta had fallen asleep in his car while waiting in line at a drive thru at a Wendy’s.

Police said Brooks resisted arrest after failing a field sobriety test.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said it was investigating the incident and video taken by an eyewitness was aiding their probe.

(GBI Director Vic Reynolds) “Sometime during the course of that investigation he was out and engaged with two Atlanta officers, and that engagement turned into a physical confrontation, we have seen that physical confrontation on video.” In the eyewitness video, Brooks is first seen on the ground outside his car, struggling with two police officers, both of whom are white.

He appeared to grab for the Taser of one officer, who was using the device on Brooks' leg.

After a few seconds, Brooks broke free from the officers and began to run.

One officer then used a Taser on him.

Gun shots are heard…the video then shows Brooks apparently lifeless on the ground.

GBI director Vic Reynolds said during a news conference Saturday that video captured by cameras inside the Wendy's appeared to show that Brooks had one of the officer's Tasers in his hand when he fled.

(GBI Director Vic Reynolds) "At that point, the Atlanta officer reaches down and retrieves his weapon from his holster, discharges it, strikes Mr. Brooks there on the parking lot and he goes down.” Brooks’ cousin expressed shock and dismay Saturday.

(Unnamed cousin): "I was think for me, the most hurtful thing for me is to watch the video, wake up and watch that video.

I got two little boys.

They see the same video.

That's their cousin.

That's what hurts so much.

I thought Atlanta was higher than that, I thought we were bigger than that."

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