Rayshard Brooks was shot not once but twice, the autopsy report has revealed. The report released by the Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office in Georgi has also ruled the nature of death as homicide. According to the report, Brooks died from damage and severe blood loss from two gunshot wounds at his back.
Books, a 27-year-old African American, was shot by Atlanta Police on Friday at a Wendy's parking lot following a tussle with the authorities during a sobriety check. The shooting sparked demonstrations in Atlanta and several other cities across the United States on Sunday, with protesters calling for the end of police violence.
Nothing Less Than Murder
On Sunday, Members of Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard and other staff witnessed Brooks' autopsy as part of the investigations. In the autopsy report, the medical examiner mentioned that the cause of the death was "injured organs that caused significant blood loss." Further, the nature of death has been described as homicide that could lead to stricter charges against the policemen who fired at Books.
Howard has slammed the way the police officers handled Brooks' fatal shooting. "Brooks did not seem to present any kind of threat to anyone, and so the fact that it would escalate to his death just seems unreasonable," he said in an interview on Sunday.
The Fulton County District Attorney also mentioned that a decision on whether to bring charges against the policemen could come around Wednesday after detailed reports come in.
Body footage camera released by Atlanta Police shows that Brooks was shot by the police at a Wendy's drive-through after they moved to handcuff him suspecting that he was driving under the influence. The videos also show Brooks appearing to be cooperative although he is seen pulling a police officer's taser and throwing it at him before trying to run away to avoid getting arrested. Following that the officer fires three shots at him with his service pistol.
Protests Against Police Violence Continues
The shooting led to the immediate firing of police officer Garrett Rolfe. Another officer involved in the killing, Devin Bronsan, has been put on administrative duty, while the Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields resigned on Saturday. However, that was not enough to pacify the situation as angry protesters took to the streets and even set the restaurant on fire.
Brooks' killing made angry protesters take to the streets of Atlanta and other part of the country demanding the end of police brutality. The protests were initially peaceful, but they grew turbulent by Saturday. So far 36 people have been arrested in Atlanta.
Brooks' killing comes just weeks after George Floyd, an African-American, died in Minneapolis after a policeman knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes.
