A Georgia state agency is investigating a fatal shooting involving an Atlanta police officer as protests rile the country over police use of force and systemic racism.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) announced Saturday that it was asked by the Atlanta Police Department (APD) to investigate the shooting of 27-year-old Rayshard Brooks, who was shot by a police officer Friday night.
The GBI said that APD officers were dispatched to a Wendy’s in the city on Friday night in response to a complaint that Brooks was asleep in the restaurant’s drive-thru. Officers said they attempted to take Brooks into custody after he failed a sobriety test, at which point a struggle ensued.
While allegedly resisting, Brooks grabbed an officer’s Taser, at which point he was shot, the GBI said.
Brooks was then transferred to a local hospital, where he died after surgery.
One officer was treated for an injury sustained during the struggle and was discharged from the hospital.
The GBI will hand the case over to the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office for review once it finishes its investigation.
Atlanta, like cities across the country, has seen several protests over the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who was killed in police custody in Minneapolis.
Video showing an officer kneeling on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes as Floyd said, “I can’t breathe” swiftly went viral online, sparking national civil unrest as well as demonstrations in solidarity around the globe.