Amid Derek Chauvin Trial, Legal Analyst Parallels 2020 Police Killings Of Rayshard Brooks, George Floyd
This screen grab taken from body camera video provided by the Atlanta Police Department shows Rayshard Brooks speaking with Officer Garrett Rolfe, left, in the parking lot of a Wendy’s restaurant in Atlanta on June 12.
Atlanta Police Department via AP
As the case of a white Minnesota police officer charged with the murder of George Floyd begins, it raises parallels to a similar case upcoming in Atlanta.
This week, the judge overseeing former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin’s trial reinstated a third-degree murder charge in the case. Chauvin, who is white, is accused of killing George Floyd, a Black man, last May. The move was a win for prosecutors seeking another pathway to conviction.
Less than three weeks later, former white Atlanta police officer Garrett Rolfe fatally shot Rayshard Brooks in a South Atlanta Wendy’s drive-through. APD terminated Rolfe soon after. The case is now in the hands of Fulton District Attorney Fani Willis.
WABE legal analyst Page Pate told ‘All Things Considered’ host Jim Burress there are clear parallels between both killings.
“Will the judge allow evidence of this officer’s prior use of force? Can you get those prior complaints into evidence to show that this officer had a practice or was engaged in this type of behavior before,” Pate told Burress. “That may be an issue in the Atlanta case as well.”
D.A. Willis attempted to recuse herself from the Rayshard Brooks case due to her predecessor, Paul Howard, bringing felony murder charges against Rolfe after just five days into his investigation. State Attorney General Chris Carr denied Willis’ request. Howard’s conduct in the Brooks case is under investigation by the GBI.
Lily Oppenheimer contributed to this report.
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