Medical Examiner Rules Rayshard Brooks Death as Homicide

27-year-old Rayshard Brooks was killed by Atlanta police officers after sleeping in a Wendy’s parking lot. After being confronted by a white officer, Brooks was fatally shot in the back, sending the Black Lives Matter community into their fourth week of protesting police brutality.

The Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office concludes that Brooks’ death came from blood loss and organ injuries caused by two gunshot wounds from Atlanta Police, ruling his death as a homicide.

The fatal encounter came after a Wendy’s employee called Atlanta police to state that Brooks’ had fallen asleep in his vehicle in the drive-thru. Police arrived and were able to suspect that Brooks’ was intoxicated. When being arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence, Brooks’ resisted and ran away, resulting in Atlanta police fatally shooting another un-armed black man.

“[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,” says DA Paul Howard to CNN’s Fredricka Whitfield. “It just seems like this is not the kind of conversation and incident that should have led to someone’s death.”

Garret Rolfe, the officer responsible for shooting Brooks’ has since been fired. The other officer who was with him, (also white) was put on administrative leave.