Family Of Rayshard Brooks Reaches Settlement With The City Of Atlanta
Two years after the police killed Rayshard Brooks in a Wendy’s parking lot, the family has settled with the city of Atlanta.
According to CNN, Atlanta reached a $1 million settlement with the Brooks family. Stewart Miller Simmons Trial Attorneys, the law firm representing Brooks’ family, said in a statement, “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.”
The statement also remarked that no officers were held accountable: “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.”
On June 12, 2020, Brooks, 27, was found asleep in a Wendy’s drive-thru after a night of drinking. His interaction with police, caught on bodycam video, was calm at first but changed once Officer Garrett Rolfe tried to handcuff Brooks. After an attempt to taser Brooks with another officer, Devin Brosnan, at the scene, Rolfe opened fire on Brooks as he ran away. The shooting caused protests at the restaurant, which was burned to the ground a day later.
Rolfe was fired the next day and charged by the then-Fulton County, Ga., District Attorney Paul Howard with 11 counts, including felony murder, later that same week. However, Rolfe was reinstated on appeal, and the charges were eventually dismissed. In August 2021, a special prosecutor declined to pursue charges against the officers.
