Atlanta Police Chief Resigns After the Murder of Rayshard Brooks, Officer Involved in Shooting Fired

On Saturday, June 13, Atlanta Police Chief, Erika Shields, resigned following the APD murder of another unarmed black man, Rayshard Brooks.

“Out of a deep and abiding love for this city and this department, I offered to step aside as police chief. APD has my full support,” Shields said in a statement. “Mayor Bottoms has my support on the future direction of this department. I have faith in the mayor, and it is time for the city to move forward and build trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve,” she said.

Atlanta Mayor, Keisha Lance Bottoms, said in a press conference on Saturday that she did not believe the shooting which happened on Friday night represented “justified use of deadly force.” She also called for the officer who shot Brooks to be fired immediately.

Shield’s resignation comes less than 24 hours after the murder which took place in Wendy’s parking lot. Someone had called the police on Brooks who had reportedly fallen asleep in his car. He was then given a field sobriety test, which he apparently failed. A struggle ensued when they tried to put him into custody and the officers tased Brooks. When Brooks attempted to run away, one of the officers shot and killed him.

Shortly after Shields announced that she would be resigning, the police officer who fatally shot Brooks, Garrett Rolfe, was terminated from the Atlanta Police Department, Atlanta police spokesperson, Carlos Campos, broke the news to CNN on Saturday. The other officer involved, Devin Bronsan, has been placed on administrative duty.