The City of Atlanta To Pay $1 Million Settlement To Rayshard Brooks Family After Deadly Shooting

Murjani Rawls
·1 min read
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ATLANTA, GA - JUNE 12: David McDaniel and others gather on the anniversary of the killing of Rayshard Brooks to honor his life and to demand justice on June 12, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. The Police were called because Rayshard Brooks fell asleep behind the wheel at a Wendy’s parking lot; Brooks was shot by officer Garrett Rolfe while trying to flee the scene. In May 2021, Rolfe was reinstated with back pay to his position on the police force.

The family of Rayshard Brooks has reached a $1 million settlement agreement with the city of Atlanta two years after the 27-year-old Black man was fatally shot by police in a Wendy’s parking lot, according to NBC News. Atlanta’s city council voted 15-0 to approve the settlement. The family’s attorney released a statement after everything was finalized on Monday.

From NBC News:

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“The family of Rayshard Brooks is pleased to have reached a settlement with the city of Atlanta that resolves their civil case. This grieving family has been through so much during this process. Although the children of Mr. Brooks have lost their father, settling the case will undoubtedly assist them with future plans as they come of age.

While we are disappointed that prosecutors didn’t pursue a criminal case against the officers involved in Mr. Brooks’ death, we continue to hold out hope that the Dept. of Justice will intervene in this matter.

We look forward to the city of Atlanta continuing to work hard to build a bridge between law enforcement and members of our community.”

In June 2020, Brooks had fallen asleep in a Wendy’s parking lot. Officers Garrett Rolfe and Devin Brosnan had responded to a call, then met Brooks, where they were shown having a calm, 40-minute conversation. The officers then issued a sobriety test, and Rolfe tried to arrest Brooks.

In the body cam footage, Brooks was shown holding a stun gun he had grabbed from an officer as he ran away. He appeared to turn around and point the weapon before Rolfe fired his gun at him, hitting Brooks in the back. Rolfe was fired a day after the shooting, but was later reinstated.

Rolfe faced 11 charges in total, including felony murder. Brosnan was placed on administrative leave and faced three charges, including aggravated assault. All charges were dismissed. The funds will be paid to Tomika Miller, the Brooks estate, and the Stewart Miller Simmons Trial Attorneys firm.

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