Ga. NAACP president: Atlanta officers involved in Rayshard Brooks shooting should face grand jury

August 24th, 2022

A Wendy's restaurant is on fire during protests on Saturday, June 13, 2020, where Rayshard Brooks was shot and killed by police the previous evening following a struggle in the restaurant's drive-thru line in Atlanta.
Brynn Anderson / Associated Press

Charges are being dismissed against two Atlanta police officers involved in the deadly shooting of a Black man outside of a Wendy’s fast food restaurant in 2020.

The special prosecutor on the case says he believes officers Devin Brosnan and Garrett Rolfe acted reasonably in using deadly force while trying to arrest Brooks.

The shooting happened against the backdrop of heightened tensions and protests nationwide after the death of George Floyd under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer less than three weeks earlier.

Protests over Floyd’s death had largely subsided in Atlanta, but Brooks’ killing set off a new round of demonstrations against police brutality and racial injustice.

Georgia NAACP President Gerald Griggs says the evidence showing that Rayshard Brooks was shot twice in the back from almost 20 feet away proves the shooting was unjustified. (Courtesy of Gerald Griggs)

Georgia NAACP President Gerald Griggs has represented multiple families related to victims of police violence, and he joined “Morning Edition” to reflect on the decision.

Griggs says the evidence showing that Brooks was shot twice in the back from almost 20 feet away proves the shooting was unreasonable.

“I don’t think that that’s justifiable, so there’s a question of fact, there’s question of law, it’s up to a jury to make that determination of the facts applying to the law, and what is reflective of the community here in Fulton County,” said Griggs.

Griggs is calling for murder charges to be presented to a grand jury.

Christopher Alston contributed to this report.