Police warn armed people surround Wendy's, forcing white people out
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We also saw a protester assault an Atlanta police officer after a man and woman claimed a mob of people stopped their car and attacked them as they tried to drive past the Wendy’s.
“It’s scary to have someone come after you like that. We take their side. We weren’t being disrespectful. We were just trying to get on the interstate. I was hit in the arms and the face and legs with the boulder,” one of the victims said.”
Armed protesters remain at Wendy’s where Rayshard Brooks was killed. So what’s next?
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Loved ones will gather today at 1 p.m. at Atlanta's historic Ebenezer Baptist Church. Dr. Martin Luther King's daughter is set to deliver remarks during the funeral, along with one of Brooks' friends, and his mother-in-law. Senior Pastor Rev. Raphael Warnock will be giving the eulogy.
Civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was co-pastor of Ebenezer Baptist with his father until 1968.
On Monday, a public viewing took place at the church for the 27-year-old father of three. Photos of yesterday's public viewing:
Funeral for Rayshard Brooks to be held at historic Ebenezer Baptist Church
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Charged officer says he would not have done anything differently on the night Rayshard Brooks was killed - CNN
"At the end of the day, someone lost their life. To me, it's heartbreaking no matter the circumstances, no matter what," Atlanta police officer Devin Brosnan, 26, said. "When anybody dies truly is something you never want to see happen, to have happen. I can't imagine what a family would go through."
Brosnan admitted in the AJC interview that for his own safety he put his foot on the stricken Brooks, and video footage shows his foot was on Brooks for a few seconds.
"I feel like my side wasn't really heard and given the short timeframe it's hard for anybody to understand all the facts and the whole circumstances around it," the officer said in the newspaper interview. "That being said, I'm still willing to cooperate." "I'm not a cooperating witness; I'm cooperating. I think that's the takeaway," Brosnan said. "I'll tell the truth to anybody who needs to hear it."
"I just looked at it like, he could have just said I'm doing the right thing -- I'm talking," Brosnan said. "But it just seemed like it was more important to make it political than it was to get to the truth of the matter and get to the real facts of it. ... Some person lost their life. It's not something to make political."
Brosnan was the first officer to arrive June 12 after being called to the parking lot of a Wendy's restaurant in south Atlanta.
Brooks struggled with the officers and grabbed Brosnan's Taser, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. In the scuffle, Brosnan was knocked backward and his head struck the pavement. Brosnan suffered
a concussion from the blow, his attorney has said. The concussion left Brosnan feeling disoriented and terrified, and it was at this time when Brooks got control of his Taser, he told the AJC. Brosnan did not know all that had happened because of his concussion, he said.
"I hear gunfire," Brosnan told the AJC. "I know he still has my Taser. I know there's a crowd. I got up to him and I'm trying to figure out what's going on. You need to make sure you're safe before you can help or do anything else."
After Brooks was shot, Brosnan put his foot on the man, then removed it when he determined Brooks couldn't reach his Taser again, Brosnan told the AJC.
"It's totally just an instinctual thing for my own safety," he said. "When I realized I was safe that's when I take it off. In no way shape or form was I trying to hurt this man."
Brosnan will be interviewed Tuesday by the GBI ...
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Attorneys for Garrett Rolfe said in a statement Monday that "while we are waiting for the GBI to finish its investigation, there are certain allegations made by Paul Howard that are simply not supported by the facts."
For example, the statement says Howard has said Rolfe never told Brooks he was under arrest for driving under the influence.
"However, it is clear from the video that Officer Rolfe told Mr. Brooks, 'I think you've had too much to be driving. Put your hands behind your back.' Clearly this statement is sufficient to inform Mr. Brooks that he is under arrest," the lawyers said.
Rayshard Brooks killing: Lawyers for ex-officer dispute prosecutor's allegations
Also disputed were statutes regarding use of force; statements about whether a Taser is a deadly weapon; and details about the struggle over the Taser between Brooks and the officers.
Atlanta officer charged in Rayshard Brooks case: 'I have 100 percent faith the truth will come out'
Officer Brosnan, in an exclusive interview, said that he was surprised he's been criminally charged.
“I feel like my side wasn’t really heard and given the short timeframe it’s hard for anybody to understand all the facts and the whole circumstances around it,” he said. “That being said, I’m still willing to cooperate.”
He said he's often employed a laid-back style to defuse situations. Video footage shows him having a conversation with Brooks in a Wendy's fast-food parking lot after responding to a 911 call because Brooks fell asleep in his car in the drive-thru lane.
After smelling alcohol on his breath, Brosnan called for a certified DUI officer to come to the scene, which was Rolfe. After failing the breathalyzer test, Brooks tried to flee as he was being arrested. Brosnan slammed his head into the pavement during the ensuing struggle and suffered a concussion, the paper reported.
“You’re always taught in policing that you have to expect anything to happen,” Brosnan said. “But that being said, I felt like he was very respectful, I was respectful to him.”
Authorities said Brooks was not provided medical attention for more than two minutes after he was shot. Brosnan admitted to standing on Brooks shoulder after he was shot, but that he wasn't aware of it at the time because of the concussion.
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Rayshard Brooks' funeral: Bernice King demands end to racism 'virus,' seeks 'reparations'
"We cannot stop our demonstrations until our voices are heard and our demands for police reform are met. We must not stop until white supremacist policy and practices are no longer the order of today," Martin Luther King Jr's daughter, the Rev. Bernice King, said. "We will not stop until voter suppression is a thing of the past. We will not stop until reparations set us on a path to be free at last."
"Although I did not have a chance to meet Rayshard, I am here to stand with you in what feels like an all-too-familiar moment. Having a father killed when I was only 5 years of age, my heart deeply grieves for [his daughters] Dream, Memory, Blessing and [stepson] Mekai," King said. "I know the pain of growing up without a father and the ongoing attention around his tragic loss. I am and will continue to pray for each of you."
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