Rayshard Brooks Shooting: Charges Dropped Against Atlanta Officers

ATLANTA, GA — Charges are being dropped against the two police officers who fatally shot Rayshard Brooks more than two years ago outside an Atlanta Wendy's, the special prosecutor for the case announced Tuesday.

Pete Skandalakis, executive director of the Prosecuting Attorneys' Council of Georgia, said at a news conference he would not pursue charges against Garrett Rolfe and Devin Brosnan. Rolfe and Brosnan's use of force was reasonable and they did not act with criminal intent, Skandalakis said.

"We have faith in the criminal justice system, and we respect the special prosecutor’s decision in this case," the Atlanta Police Department said in a statement.

Rolfe was fired after the shooting but was reinstated in May 2021 after Atlanta's Civil Service Board ruled the city did not follow protocols for firing employees, violating Rolfe's right to due process.

Both officers are still with the Atlanta Police Department and currently on administrative duty. They will both undergo recertification and training, according to the department.

Brooks was shot during a June 12, 2020, altercation at the Wendy’s at 125 University Ave., just off I-75/85 in Atlanta.

Police were called to the restaurant around 10:30 p.m. on a complaint that a man was asleep in his car in the drive-thru, causing other drivers to drive around the car. Brooks failed a field sobriety test, prompting Rolfe and Brosnan to attempt to arrest him.

Brooks grabbed a stun gun from one of the officers, ran a few feet away and then pointed it at them before they fired at him. Brooks later died at a hospital.

Brooks' death, which occurred just weeks after George Floyd's death in the custody of Minneapolis police, prompted more protests against police brutality. The Wendy's at which the shooting occurred was burned the next day.

This story is being updated.