Atlanta police chief Erika Shields resigned the day after Rayshard Brooks was shot and killed by an Atlanta police officer.
Shields served as the Atlanta police chief since December 2016 with extensive experience in the police force precedingly.
Shields' resignation was announced by Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms in a statement, "Because of her desire that Atlanta be a model of what meaningful reform should look like across this country, Chief Shields has offered to immediately step aside as police chief so that the city may move forward with urgency and rebuilding the trust so desperately needed throughout our communities."
On the Friday night of June 12, 2020, a 27-year-old African American man by the name of Rayshard Brooks was shot twice in the back by Atlanta police officer Garret Rolfe.
Brooks was married for eight years with three daughters and a stepson.
Brooks' wife, Tomika Miller said, "It was murder--that was not justified. He was shot running away. He wasn't dangerous. He wasn't coming at them in any kind of way to where they felt a threat, they shouldn't have felt threatened."
"I want them to go to jail. I want them to deal with the same things as if it was my husband who killed somebody else. If it was my husband who shot them, he would be in jail. He would be doing a life sentence," Miller said.
The tragedy started when Officer Devin Brosnan responded to a complaint that a man was asleep in a car blocking a Wendy's drive-thru. Rayshard Brook's blood-alcohol content was above the legal limit for driving and he was handcuffed but Brooks resisted, got a hold of Brosnan's taser, punched Rolfe and ran. Rolfe ran after Brooks only until Brooks turned and fired the taser toward Rolfe, who then shot Brooks twice in the back which eventually led to his death.
Brooks' resistance from arrest evidently stemmed from the fact that he was on probation and his failed sobriety test would lead to the revocation of his probation and ultimately force him back to prison.
Rolfe was fired and charged with felony murder and ten other offenses while Brosnan was placed on administrative duty and charged with aggravated assault and two counts of violation of oath.
