Turning now to those charges and the police killing of Rayshard Brooks, the former Atlanta officer who shot Brooks in the back in a Wendy's parking lot last week, now facing felony murder charges. The other officer on the scene charged with aggravated assault. Steve Osensami is in Atlanta with that story again for us this morning.
Steve, good morning. Good morning to you. A number of Atlanta police officers who feel abandoned by their city and its leaders were calling in sick overnight.
And the mayor of Atlanta... is urging them to honor their commitment. How many officers we're talking about is a matter of debate, but people who I've known for years are telling me stories of officers refusing to come to work, refusing to take calls. The police department this morning is describing this as a higher than usual number of sick officers.
Whatever the number, the message is being delivered. Streets in Atlanta that were on fire after the shooting happened were filled with people celebrating overnight. Protesters got what they wanted from the Fulton County District Attorney. The former officer accused of shooting and killing Rayshard Brooks will be charged with murder. First charge is felony murder.
27-year-old Garrett Rolfe is facing 11 charges in all after shooting Brooks, who was his same age, in the back. If he's convicted, he could pay for it with his life. The other officer, Devin Brosnan, is charged with aggravated assault, even though his attorney says he never pulled out a gun and is being unfairly charged with a crime. The prosecutor says that these photos influenced his decision.
They show Rolfe kicking the man while he's dying. and show the other officer standing on Brooks'shoulder. A non-eventful DUI turns physical when they try to put Brooks in handcuffs and he refuses.
The prosecutor says the officers never told him he was under arrest or why. You're going to get tased! You're going to get tased! Stop!
You're going to get tased! Brooks runs away with one of their tasers. Officer Rolfe runs after, and it's after Brooks turns his back and points the stun gun at Rolfe when Rolfe fires his gun. The city of Atlanta says you cannot even fire a taser at someone who's running away, so you certainly can't fire a gun, a handgun, at someone who is running away.
The prosecutor also says that Rolfe said, I got him after he shot the man, and that the officers waited more than two minutes before trying to save the man's life. Brooks'family says the charges are a good starting point. But I felt everything that he felt just by hearing.
What he went through, and it hurt. It hurt really bad. Rolfe's lawyer tells ABC News his client acted out of fear for his own safety and the civilians around him, saying that Rolfe heard a sound like a gunshot and saw a flash in front of him and fired his service weapon at the only portion of Mr. Brooks that...
presented to him. Mr. Brooks is back. The police union tells us that their officers feel unsupported. Yes, sir. I think that that's why it's been rushed up.
You know, again, I'm not denying that there needs to be an investigation. I think this is still political. We've said that since day one. Also this morning, we're hearing from the victim himself.
Rayshard Brooks appears in this interview from earlier this year with a tech startup called Reconnect, and the interview is on point. The people talking with him are focusing on criminal justice reform, and he speaks about being trapped in the probation system. I just feel like... Some of the system could, you know, look at us as individuals.
We do have lives, you know, it's just a mistake we made, you know, and, you know, not just do us as if we are animals. On the issue of bond, the DA is asking for a $50,000 signature bond for the officer charged with aggravated assault and no bond for the officer charged with felony murder. Amy? All right, Steve Osensami, thank you.
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