Yet another incident of police brutality made the news over the weekend, with police in Atlanta fatally shooting a black man at a Wendy’s drive-thru after someone called to complain he was sleeping in his car.
The man, believed to be 27-year-old Rayshard Brooks, was said to be asleep at the wheel whilst blocking other cars at the drive-thru. After a failed sobriety test, the man apparently resisted and officers fought back, with police claiming Brooks grabbed hold of an officer’s taser.
Atlanta police officers deployed tasers at a Wendy’s drive-thru before opening fire on 27-year-old Rayshard Brooks and subsequently killing him.
The case is being investigated by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), after which it will be turned over to the Fulton County District Attorney.
Various footage reportedly captured at the time of the incident has been shared on social media.
“Everybody say it ain’t about colour, but it is about colour. It is about colour because [the police] make it about colour,” one man can be heard saying.
People have taken to Twitter to pay tribute to Brooks, saying he didn’t deserve to die.
Rayshard Brooks.
A 27 yr old father of 3 girls and 1 stepson. Was celebrating his daughter’s 8th birthday and was planning to take her skating.
His crime? Allegedly sleeping in his car in a Wendy’s parking lot in Atlanta. Shot 3 times in the back and killed. #RayshardBrooks pic.twitter.com/stKK0h2l2M
— Kristen Clarke (@KristenClarkeJD) June 14, 2020
It takes a cold hearted individual to calmly speak with a person for 30 minutes, know they have no lethal weapons, confirm their judgment may be impaired by alcohol and yet still decide to shoot them dead because you can. #AtlantaShooting #RayshardBrooks pic.twitter.com/pSDcHri0Ll
— RealTimBlack (@RealTimBlack) June 14, 2020
Protesters have since burned down the Wendy’s where the incident occurred, perhaps misinterpreting the incident or getting carried away by their anger.
BREAKING: The Wendy’s in Atlanta on University Avenue is engulfed in flames. THIS IS NOT GOOD.
Burning shit down is not the answer. pic.twitter.com/twdSbpzELH
— BrooklynDad_Defiant! (@mmpadellan) June 14, 2020
Rioters literally set my friends Wendy’s on fire in Atlanta where Rayshard Brooks was killed by the police.
While tragic, what in the hell did his Wendy’s have to do with shooting??!
Absolutely nothing! Why are you destroying other people’s property?? Makes no sense!!
— Derek Utley (@realDerekUtley) June 14, 2020
Atlanta was one of many cities across the world that has held large protests in the wake of George Floyd‘s death on May 25. This is the 48th officer-involved shooting the GBI has investigated in this year.
