Fulton County D.A. To Announce Charging Decision In Rayshard Brooks

Source: Joe Raedle / Getty

***UPDATE***

District Attorney Paul L. Howard has announced that charges will be filed against former Atlanta Police Officer officer Garrett Rolfe for the shooting death of Rayshard Brooks. There are 11 of them, they read as follows: Felony murder, three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, criminal damage to property, violation of oath for shooting taser with excessive force and failure to render aid, and more. It’s a very comprehensive list.

We pray the charges stick.

Peep the live stream below.

*********

Atlanta is a city that is grieving, mourning, and mad as hell. The murder of Ahmaud Arbery just a short distance away, the murder of George Floyd hundreds of miles away, the murder of Breonna Taylor to the north in Louisville, and the recent murder of Rayshard Brooks right in the middle of the city all left people frustrated and sad that justice isn’t exactly on deck.

Today, after five days, Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard will announce whether or not fired-cop Garrett Rolfe, the offending shooter, and newly desk-dutied Devin Brosnan will face criminal charges for Rayshard’s death.

To say that we are anxious is an understatement. With the city already tense anything less than a murder charge will undoubtedly result in protests and more violent rebellion. This is the wrong time to f**k up. Charges are mandatory and civil unrest is guaranteed if Rolfe isn’t put in handcuffs.

Here is what Howard told CNN on Sunday:

“(Brooks) did not seem to present any kind of threat to anyone, and so the fact that it would escalate to his death just seems unreasonable,” Howard told the network. “If that shot was fired for some reason other than to save that officer’s life or prevent injury to him or others, then that shooting is not justified under the law.”

“There are really three charges that are relevant,” he said. “One would be the murder charge in the state of Georgia. That charge is a charge that is directly related to an intent to kill. The second charge is felony murder. And that is a charge that involves a death that comes as a result of the commission of an underlying felony, and in this case, that underlying felony would be aggravated assault.”

“But I believe in this instance, what we have to choose between — if there’s a choice to be made — is between murder and felony murder.”

Let’s hope that he puts some action behind those words.