The Atlanta Civil Service Board reviewed the firing of officer Garrett Rolfe in the wake of the June 13 death of Rayshard Brooks and overturned the firing on the grounds that Rolfe was not given due process.
The incident occurred at a Wendy’s in Atlanta when police were called due to Brooks having fallen asleep behind the wheel of his car, blocking the drive thru lane at the restaurant.
Rolfe responded to the scene and gave Brooks a breathalyzer test which indicated that Brooks’s blood-alcohol level was above the legal limit for operating a vehicle.
As Rolfe attempted to take Brooks into custody, Brooks grabbed the police-issued taser of another officer, Devin Brosnan, and attempted to flee. When Brooks turned and fired the taser at Rolfe, he responded by shooting at Brooks three times, hitting him twice.
[adrotate banner=”19″]
Brooks died later in surgery.
The death of Brooks, who was a black man, sparked several nights of unrest in Atlanta and the Wendy’s location was burned.
Rolfe remains charged with felony murder in the incident and re-instatement will likely aid him in his defense of the charges.
“Due to the City’s failure to comply with several provisions of the Code and the information received during witnesses’ testimony, the Board concludes the Appellant was not afforded his right to due process,” the three member board concluded in its final order.
Scott Hudson is the Managing Editor of The Augusta Press. Reach him at scott@theaugustapress.com.
[adrotate banner=”30″]
