The former Atlanta police officer who fatally shot Rayshard Brooks is suing the mayor and interim police chief, saying his firing violated his constitutional rights and the city code. Meanwhile, prosecutors have asked a judge to revoke his bond.
Garrett Rolfe was fired June 13, the day after he fatally shot Brooks outside a Wendy's restaurant in Atlanta. In a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Fulton County Superior Court, he says he was fired “without an investigation, without proper notice, without a disciplinary hearing, and in direct violation of the municipal code of the City of Atlanta.”
Also Tuesday, prosecutors filed a motion to revoke Rolfe's bond, saying he had traveled to Florida without permission. The bond order “expressly states that the Defendant is only allowed to leave home for medical, legal, or work related obligations,” the motion says.
Former Atlanta police Officer Garrett Rolfe, right, appears on a television screen with attorney Lance LoRusso, Tuesday, June 30, 2020, in Atlanta. Rolfe, who fatally shot Rayshard Brooks when Brooks fired a Taser in his direction while running away after a struggle on June 12, can be free on bond while his case is pending. A judge set a bond of $500,000 for Rolfe, who faces charges, including felony murder. (AP PhotoBrynn Anderson, Pool)
Police body cameras showed Rolfe and another officer, Devin Brosnan, having a calm and respectful conversation with Brooks for more than 40 minutes after complaints that the 27-year-old Black man had fallen asleep in his car in a Wendy’s drive-thru lane on June 12.
But when officers told him he’d had too much to drink to be driving and tried to handcuff him, Brooks resisted. A struggle was caught on dash camera video. Brooks grabbed one of their Tasers and fled, firing the Taser at Rolfe as he ran away.
An autopsy found Brooks was shot twice in the back.
Rolfe now faces 11 charges in all, including felony murder, and was granted bond June 30. Brosnan is charged with aggravated assault and violating his oath and is also free on bond.